


Crippled Anger

by Masayume



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Anger, Angst, Comfort, F/M, Forgiveness, Friendship, Gen, Hurt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-10
Updated: 2014-06-27
Packaged: 2018-01-15 05:29:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1293112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Masayume/pseuds/Masayume
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Originally posted to FFN June 2012: Katara thinks life isn't fair. Ever since Zuko joined their group she has begrudgingly accepted his presence for Aang's sake, but that doesn't mean she has to act like his friend. However, some people aren't exactly happy with her attitude. Will she ever be able to give up her anger before it consumes her? A dive into Katara's anger issues post-The Boiling Rock.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Never Forgive, Never Forget

**Author's Note:**

> These are the original notes the story was posted with in 2012:
> 
> Wow, I have not updated in so long, but it feels good to finally get this out there. I have had this sitting in my folder in a state of "I think it's done but I'm not so sure..." since last November. I had a bit of an existential crisis because I had varying opinions on how this should end, but I've decided to follow my gut.
> 
> First and foremost this is somewhat self-contained, but if you don't feel like there is enough closure I would highly encourage you to read my other two pieces "Stand in the Rain" and "Somewhere I Belong", everything ties together.
> 
> Secondly, I would like to thank both chromeknickers and jazzpha for their help in guiding me to making this story better. Both of these writers have been phenomenal inspiration to me.
> 
> Last but not at all least, this story is dedicated to the amazing Em_Dixon. It was her story, "Straight Answers" that inspired this particular one-shot. Her stuff is always amazing and I can only hope this doesn't disappoint. This piece is my gift to her for being an amazing source of support, encouragement, and most of all, my friend. I'm sorry it took me so long to put this up but this is for you sweetie! ;)
> 
> And of course, thank you most of all to those who take the time to read this and any of my other pieces. There are never words to express how much it means to have anyone read and enjoy my silly headcanon. Please enjoy!

**Crippled Anger**

  _“Anger is the most impotent of passions. It effects nothing it goes about, and hurts the one who is possessed by it more than the one against whom it is directed.”_

 -Clarendon

* * *

The early morning sunlight crawled across the floor and onto Katara’s small bed, signaling the start of a new day. With a groan, Katara threw her arm over her eyes in an attempt to block out the unwanted intrusion. She just wanted to sleep until she could wake up to the reality of her choosing—no war, no fighting, no running from the Fire Nation and, most importantly, no banished Fire Nation prince.

After a few ineffectual moments of trying to get back to sleep, Katara reluctantly caved in and sat up. Heaving a sigh, she removed the blanket and threw her legs over the side of the bed. As she stood and began to dress, Katara ticked off her mental list of things that needed to be done for the day.

First there would be breakfast, then cleaning, then laundry and then, of course, the never-ending rounds of training. Each day followed a specific pattern according to who trained Aang—with fire getting particular emphasis. Katara’s turn to train Aang usually came much later in the day, often after dinner when the moon was high in the sky. This allowed Katara much of the day to do other things, like chores, since she was the only one who would do them in the first place.

She made her way down to the open area with the fountain of the Western Air Temple, which had become the unspoken common area, and began to make breakfast. Inhaling the warm morning air, Katara enjoyed the few moments of peace and quiet she would have before everyone began to wake up. As Katara hummed to herself, she started a small fire and set up the pot, bending water into it from the nearby fountain.

“Good morning,” came a familiar raspy voice from behind.

 

Katara stiffened. _Of course, Mr. ‘I Rise with the Sun’ would be up first._

“Morning,” she replied tersely without a hint of kindness, her good mood completely spoiled.

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Nope.”

Zuko sighed and sat down on one of the collapsed pillars off to the side as he waited for Aang to wake up for training. Katara continued about her business, plainly trying to ignore the Firebender’s presence.

Ever since she had begrudgingly accepted Aang’s decision that Zuko would be his Firebending teacher, Katara had been forced to deal with the prince. Unlike everyone else who ignored Katara when she was in a bad mood, Zuko would not. He seemed determined to push her into acknowledging him—for what purpose Katara had yet to figure out, but it was starting to get on her nerves.

Silently, she hoped someone else would wake up soon so she wouldn’t have to be stuck alone with Zuko for much longer.

Her prayers were answered as Hakoda made his way into the fountain area.

Katara beamed at her father. “Morning, Dad!”

“Morning, sweetheart.” Hakoda returned his daughter’s smile as he made his way over to give her a one-armed hug.

“Did you sleep well?”

“For the most part; after sleeping on the ground or in hammocks for most of the past two years, sleeping in a bed is strange. My neck is a little stiff.” As if to prove his point, he grimaced as he rubbed the back of his neck trying to work out the kinks.

“I can heal that for you if you want; let me just finish making breakfast first. You know how Sokka gets if food isn’t ready by the time he wakes up.”

“That I do.” Hakoda chuckled.

Katara watched as her father made his way over to where Zuko was seated and proceeded to strike up a conversation with the young man. She didn’t even try to hide the dark scowl that came over her face as she observed them interacting, stealing glances here and there. She couldn’t help but wonder what on earth they could even be talking about. Not that she had reason to care, but this was _her_ father making friendly chit-chat with her worst enemy. Had the world gone crazy?

When Hakoda threw his head back in laughter at, presumably, something Zuko had said Katara nearly broke the spoon she was holding in her hand.

“Good morning delicious food!” Sokka greeted as he came up to smell the jook that Katara was stirring in the pot. Suki trailed behind him, her hand grasped tightly in his.

“Good morning to you too, Sokka,” Katara shot back scathingly. “It’s almost ready so try to be patient.”

“I think he can manage that.”

Suki shot Sokka a look that told him to behave while she gave Katara a warm smile, which Katara gladly returned. Having Suki with them to keep Sokka in check was a blessing since they had all returned from the Boiling Rock. Minus all the unnecessary public affection the couple was fond of demonstrating, Katara was happy that Sokka was happy.

Slowly but surely the rest of the group streamed into the common area as Katara was dishing out the individual portions of jook. She began passing out the bowls as Aang finally came into the common area, making him the last one to join.

“About time you joined us, sleepy head,” she teased him gently, handing him his breakfast.

“Sorry, I guess I just overslept,” Aang said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“You probably just needed the rest.”

“Yeah, you’re right, but I’m all ready for another round of Firebending training with Sifu Hotman!” He proudly called to Zuko across the small circle that everyone had formed around the fire.

Katara couldn’t help the amused sneer that snaked its way across her face as the expression on Zuko’s face soured at Aang’s favorite name for his new teacher. Seeing Zuko uncomfortable somehow made Katara’s day that much better.

“I’m sure there will be lots of dancing,” Katara said, unable to resist adding that last crack with every ounce of derision in her.

She then made her way to Zuko and her father, handing them their helpings of the morning meal.

“Here, Dad.”

She handed Hakoda his bowl cheerfully before turning to Zuko, her expression turning icy in a matter of seconds.

“Here.”

Katara all but shoved the bowl into the prince’s hands and turned back to her father, who was giving her a disapproving look, which she pointedly ignored. With a wave of her hand, she pulled more water from the fountain and wrapped it around her hands. Anything her father might have said to scold her quickly vanished from his mind as she placed her hands on his neck, working out the knots in the muscles.

“Ah, that’s much better,” Hakoda declared appreciatively. “Thank you, Katara.”

“You are very welcome.” Katara giggled as she bent down and gave her father a kiss on the cheek.

Everyone ate quietly for a time, but after a few moments small conversations popped up around the circle as everyone started to discuss plans for the day. Katara, meanwhile, went around gathering bowls as people were finishing their breakfast and piled them over by the fountain so she could wash them.

“I can help clean up the dishes,” Zuko stated as he came over and handed her his bowl.

_He just doesn’t give up, does he?_

“Thanks, but no thanks, Your _H_ _ighness_.” Katara emphasized the last word snidely. “I wouldn’t want you to dirty your hands by doing menial labor such as this.”

Zuko clenched his fists, and Katara could tell that it was taking everything in him not to retaliate. Sometimes, she almost wished he would. At least _that_ Zuko she knew what to do with.

“Come on, Sifu Hotman! It’s time for training!” Aang bounded over to Zuko eagerly, blissfully unaware of the tension between his two teachers, or at least doing his best to ignore it.

“Stop calling me that,” Zuko said through gritted teeth as Aang dragged him off towards the training area.

“You know, Katara,” Toph said, saddling up to Katara, “sooner or later you’re going to have to accept that he’s part of the group now.”

“If you think that his teaching Aang Firebending is going to make me forget that he betrayed us Toph, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Look, I don’t know what happened down in those caves between the two of you, but he is just trying to help. I trust him, Aang trusts him, and even your brother trusts him now.”

“You have _no_ idea what happened, Toph. You weren’t there.” Katara didn’t even notice the water in the fountain as it sloshed around in response to her rising temper. “So stop trying to tell me what to do!”

For once Toph actually seemed to back down, suddenly not interested in pushing the conversation much further. Katara was a little taken aback. Toph was never one to back down from a fight, especially one with her. Toph certainly wasn’t afraid, so what was it? The younger girl seemed to be focused intently on something, her eyes narrowed and brow furrowed in concentration. Katara wondered what she seemed to be picking up on, but Toph just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. 

“Fine, but don’t you get tired of being so angry every single day? You’re only making things worse for yourself, you know.”

Katara was struck dumb by such a mature statement from the young blind girl. She had no answer to that question and her pride wouldn’t let her admit that maybe—just maybe—Toph was right.

Toph seemed to sense that this particular verbal sparring was over and turned around to leave, while Katara was left by the fountain to war with her own conscience.

* * *

Later that day, Katara was once more by the fountain, scrubbing the dishes from lunch with a little more vigor than was necessary. She had just turned Zuko’s help down _again_ , when Hakoda approached her.

“Katara, what’s going on with you?”

“What do you mean Dad?” she asked, genuinely confused.

“I’ve never seen you treat anyone the way you treat Zuko,” he answered tersely. “You were raised better than that.”

She immediately stopped washing the bowl she had in her hands and turned to face him, anger instantly flaring to the surface. First Toph and now her father; she was sick of people treating her like she was the bad guy.

“You have _no_ idea what he was like Dad. What he’s _done_.” Her voice was cold and low.

“I don’t care what he’s done in the past, Katara. He’s here now, trying to help, and all you do is spit it right back in his face!”

“He tried to kidnap Aang! He chased us all over the world! He betrayed all of us!”

“He is trying to make amends, Katara,” Hakoda’s voice was low and strained. He was giving her the strangest look, like he really didn’t know who she was anymore. “Even you can’t hold a grudge against him forever.”

“I can sure try.”

“Katara…” Hakoda stepped towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders, willing her to look at him, but she obstinately refused to meet his eyes.

“Katara, honey, everyone deserves a second chance.”

“I was the first person to give him a second chance!” she shrieked in response, unable to control her own emotions, as she twisted out of his grasp. “He betrayed me! And Aang nearly died because of it!”

Her voice cracked with that last sentence, and she tried to swallow back her tears as she remembered that horrible day. Katara couldn’t understand how her dad could even be taking Zuko’s side after seeing the state Aang had been in after getting hit with Azula’s lightning. 

Hakoda approached her again, and this time he wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind and hugged her to his chest. Katara sobbed freely with her hand covering her mouth, trying feebly to muffle the sound.

“I almost couldn’t save him, Dad,” she hiccupped. “I almost used the one thing that did save Aang—on _him_! All because I believed his stupid lie that he had changed!”

Katara felt the guilt and resentment swarm around her, and she couldn’t hold it back any longer before she cried in her father’s embrace. She turned in his arms to bury her face in his chest, sobbing like a small child. She felt so stupid. She had managed to stay strong for so long, but the instant her father showed up it was like she had never aged at all.

Hakoda held her in his arms tightly until her sobs finally quieted, and she felt him kiss the top of her head.

“Katara, my beautiful little girl,” he began, “no—you’re more than that now—you’re becoming an adult, and each time I see you I am amazed at how much you remind me of your mother.”

Katara couldn’t help but smile at this, sniffling as she shifted her hands to clutch at the pendant around her neck.

“It pains me to know that you’ve had to grow up so quickly, and that my leaving you and your brother played a significant part in that. Even though I left to protect you—to keep you out of this war—it has still fallen upon your shoulders.”

He pulled away to stare down at her, and Katara wondered just when he had come to appear so much older than she had remembered him being.

“I’m not defending Zuko’s actions, Katara, but you have to at least try to give him a chance. He went with Sokka to rescue me, and if it wasn’t for him neither your brother nor I would be here right now.”

Katara allowed herself to mull over that thought. She had been annoyed when she, Toph, and Aang had awoken to find her brother and Zuko gone, but she really believed it when the letter said they had gone hunting. So when they finally returned, looking exhausted and followed by Suki, Chit Sang, and her father, Katara was shocked. She had been so overjoyed to see that her father was safe again that she hadn’t given it much thought as to how it had happened.

It hadn’t been until later the next morning that Sokka had regaled them all on their heroic adventure together, telling them that it was thanks to Zuko that everything had worked out so well. She refused to accept that, but here she was being scolded by her own father for treating his rescuer disdainfully and she couldn’t help but feel slighted. Now, not only were all her friends on Zuko’s side but her father too. It just wasn’t fair.

“Every day he asks you what he can do to help you with the chores around here,” Hakoda said, pressing on as his daughter remained silent. “From what I’ve seen, he’s the only one to do that. I think that says a lot, don’t you?”

The tiny niggling voice of doubt in the back of Katara’s head was growing stronger as she did a mental account of just how many times Zuko had offered to help. If she was being honest with herself, he had done nothing but go out of his way to make things easier on her, but she refused to acknowledge it.

“I know it isn’t easy for you to forgive someone, but all I am asking is that you at least _try_ to be nicer to him—” she shot him a dark look before he followed up with “—please?”

Katara sighed as her defenses crumbled. “Sure, Dad, I’ll _try_.”

“That’s my girl.” Hakoda smiled and squeezed her tightly once more before setting her free.

Once out of his arms, Katara turned back to the dishes. There was no denying that her father made a good point, but it was so easy to be angry at Zuko.

 _Where is that getting me though?_ She frowned at her reflection in the water.

She had to let go—or at least attempt to be more civil, even if the very thought made her cringe. It was like admitting that she was wrong, and Katara hated that, but when she thought about what her father and Toph had said she couldn’t deny the veracity of their arguments.

As Hakoda turned to leave, he paused for a moment, as though a thought had suddenly occurred to him. “Oh, and Katara?”

“Yes?”

 “It might not hurt for you to at least thank him for rescuing me.” 

Katara looked up with a stunned expression to watch her father retreat around the corner and down the hallway that led up to the dormitory. With a deep sigh, Katara realized that she had to make some effort to work on her treatment of Zuko around her father and the others, at least then maybe they wouldn’t all gang up on her. The universe, it seemed, wasn’t on her side this time.

* * *

For the third time that day Katara gathered up the dirty dishes and began stacking them by the fountain to be cleaned. This time she noticed Zuko approach her and she mentally took a deep breath. She was going to do as her father asked; she was going to play nice.

 _Not that it will change anything, s_ he thought darkly. Katara still didn’t trust him, and he was going to have to do a lot more than chores to change that.

“I can help clean up the dishes,” Zuko offered, repeating himself for the third time that day. His face clearly braced for the same response he had gotten every other time he had offered to help.

“You’re drying,” she said as she held out a rag to him, trying to mask her dislike of the situation. “Try not to break anything.”

To say Zuko was dumbfounded would be an understatement. Katara saw the look on his face and had to bite her lower lip to keep from snickering at his shock. Trying to be nice to Zuko might almost be worth it—just for the dumbstruck expression on his face.

“Okay,” he said, quickly recovering without missing a beat. He took the rag and settled down next to her by the edge of the fountain.

They worked together in tense silence. Katara would wash a dish with her bending and then pass it to Zuko to dry with his Firebending. It proved to be much more effective with his bending than with the rag she had originally given him. Katara also noticed that he kept shooting her furtive glances out of the corner of his eye, and it was quickly wearing away at her patience—not that she ever had much to begin with.

_If he was just going to be awkward about this he should have never offered to help in the first place._

Katara continued to focus on the task at hand, but when she caught him glancing at her for what felt like the hundredth time she dropped the water she was bending with a noticeable splash.

“What?” she snapped.

Zuko seemed genuinely shocked that she would be upset, staring at her with a vacant but somewhat confused expression.

“What do you mean ‘what’?”

“You keep glancing at me out of the corner of your eye—like I’m doing something wrong and it’s driving me crazy!”

This statement seemed to strike a nerve in the young prince, and Katara saw anger flash in his eyes.

“Well, what do you expect? You spend all this time giving me crap about every little thing—when all I’m trying to do is help—then suddenly you’re willing to let me help. Forgive me for not totally trusting your motives right now.”

“You are quite possibly the _last_ person who gets to talk about trusting others around here,” Katara said harshly.

His golden eyes seemed to dance with a flurry of emotions as his jaw tensed; clearly he had no rebuke because they both knew she was right.

“My dad seems to think that I am being unnecessarily hard on you, and he’s not the only one.” Katara stared challengingly at Zuko. “But we both know I have every reason to be angry and if you think offering to help with the chores and training Aang is going to make me forgive you—you are wrong.”

Katara watched as Zuko seemed to deflate right before her very eyes; his expression darkening as he hung his head so that he was no longer returning her gaze. It was then that the troublesome voice in the back of her mind pulled up her earlier conversations with her father and Toph, and Katara felt her defenses melt slightly. She almost felt bad for how she was acting—almost.

A few beats passed before Katara turned back to finish up the last of the dishes. She handed the last dish to be dried to Zuko and tried to pretend that she didn’t notice how he seemed much more withdrawn now. Again, her conscience screamed at her to make things right even though the proud and angry part of her refused.

Wordlessly, she put the dishes away as Zuko stood up and began to head off in the direction of the dormitory. Katara watched him retreat towards the darkness and observed how his pace was slower and his stance was more drooped than usual. Inwardly, she cursed as guilt twisted in her stomach. This morning she might not have cared, but after she had decided to at least try to heed her father’s advice she couldn’t help but feel somewhat awful for the way she was acting. Zuko had every reason to be suspicious of her, and she him, but they were supposedly on the same side now, right?

“Hey,” she called after him.

“What?” he shot back coldly and she tried not to flinch at his tone.

With an exhausted sigh she made her way closer to him, casting quick glances around the room to be sure no one was within range to hear them. Satisfied that no one was around, she crossed her arms in front of her as if that action alone would somehow make what she was about to say any less difficult.

“Look, I don’t trust you and I haven’t forgiven you for what happened back in Ba Sing Se, but I can’t ignore the fact that you saved my father when you didn’t have to.”

Zuko’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her. “And your point is?”

Katara could feel the heat rising on her cheeks against her will and she turned to look away obstinately. This was hard enough without him staring at her like she was losing her mind.

“My point is—thank you.” She mumbled the last bit a little too quickly and quietly so that Zuko could barely hear it.

“What did you say?”

She was mortified that he could possibly be asking her to repeat herself and turned to face him. “You heard me.”

“No, actually, I didn’t. Maybe if you didn’t mumble,” Zuko answered defensively.

They stood there staring each other down. Katara debated on whether or not to tell him to shove off, but part of her really was tired of being angry—and of fighting. It took a lot of energy to be angry and Toph was right: it wasn’t doing her any good. She thought she was punishing Zuko, and while she was sure that the way she treated him bothered him, she was the one affected the most by her attitude. Relenting maybe just a little might not be such a bad idea.

She closed her eyes and exhaled softly as if trying to release some of the negativity within her. When she opened them again, she met Zuko’s gaze with sincerity.

“I said thank you—for saving my father.”

For the second time that day Katara watched Zuko’s face shift into a thunderstruck expression. She didn’t wait for his response as she glided past him and up the stairs to her room. It wasn’t until she was further down the hall and out of Zuko’s ear shot that she allowed herself to laugh softly.

Being nice to Zuko might really be worth it for the lost expression on his face that he gave her each time.

* * *

When Katara woke up the following morning she was surprised to find that a part of her felt a little lighter. The swirl of negative emotions that she had been battling with were still very much present, and it took all of her self control to hold her tongue throughout the day, but she found that it wasn’t such a bad thing to at least be civil with Zuko.

Everyone else seemed shocked to wake up that morning to find Zuko making breakfast instead of Katara. She had been skeptical about letting him do it at first, but she had to admit he didn’t do a bad job, and it allowed her to enjoy the morning for once.

No one was more surprised or proud than her father, however, and that was what made her happiest.

Half-way through the day Hakoda pulled her aside and hugged her, telling her just how proud he was and how he hoped that things would only improve from there on. Katara made no promises, but she couldn’t deny that the camp wasn’t quite as tense now. Aang also seemed more at ease, which helped during training. Toph just spent the whole day shooting Katara that self-important grin of hers that said she knew something Katara didn’t, and Katara couldn’t help but wonder what the heck the Earthbender was so smug about.

Katara's change in attitude wasn’t a complete one though, as she still managed to scold Zuko when he got too critical of Aang during a particularly intense training session that afternoon. It wound up escalating into a shouting match that ended with her storming off in a huff.  They ended up grudgingly and wordlessly apologizing to each other by washing the dishes together again after dinner; and mostly because Toph manipulated them into it.

That night the whole group stayed up late telling jokes around the fire and playing games for the first time since their little quartet had grown. Katara was surprised to actually find that she was genuinely laughing and enjoying herself, and it felt nice. It had been too long since they all had really felt able to relax and enjoy themselves, and it was clear that they all needed it.

During a particularly lively re-telling by Sokka of how they met Haru, Katara caught Zuko’s gaze as they exchanged glances across the fire. He too seemed to be enjoying himself, and Katara couldn’t help but smile at him lightly. She wasn’t fully ready to accept him yet, but maybe—with time—it would get easier.

* * *

 

Katara was vaguely aware that dawn had arrived as she began to wake up the next morning. With a yawn she rolled over and away from the sun hoping to get just a little more sleep after their late bedtime the night before. Just as sleep tried to claim her once more a large explosion rocked the temple. In a flash she was on her feet. Months of being on the run had taught her not to completely let her guard down even in sleep.

Looking around frantically for the source of the attack Katara noticed Aang in a defensive posture staring out at the open canyon where several Fire Nation airships loomed ominously. More explosions continued to follow the first and Katara felt her stomach drop—they had been found.

Aang moved quickly to protect them from the onslaught by Airbending the doors around their sleeping area closed.

“What’s going on?” Haru shouted between the blasts.  

“The Fire Nation is here.” Aang stated severely.

“I should think that’s obvious!” Toph called out sarcastically.

Despite the doors to their communal area being closed and protecting them from immediate harm, the bombs continued to wreak havoc on the temple. The dilapidated structure was beginning to crumble around them and they all knew they had to find a way out and fast.

Katara had no time to notice the chunk of ceiling before it came hurtling down on her.  She heard Zuko’s voice yelling at her to watch out, but it was too late. Just as she was prepared to be crushed, she felt a warm body slam into her and she was rolled away to safety. When she opened her eyes she was shocked to see Zuko huddled over her protectively—his body right on top of hers. This was as close as she had been to the prince and while she was inwardly grateful not to be crushed, she wasn’t entirely happy at the sudden close proximity to the one person she was in the most conflict with.

“What are you doing?!” she snapped, trying not to take too much notice of just how warm his arm was wrapped around her. 

“Keeping rocks from crushing you.”

“Okay, I’m not crushed. You can get off me now.”

Irritably, she slid out from under Zuko and immediately headed back to the others to figure out what needed to be done to get them out of this.

“I’ll take that as a thank you.” She heard Zuko dead-pan behind her, but she ignored him.

“Come on, we can get out through here!” Toph called out to the group, pointing down the freshly made tunnel she and Haru had just bended.

Everyone began to run down the tunnel but Aang was unable to get Appa to budge. Katara was making sure they all got through the tunnel when she heard Aang shouting.  “What are you doing?”

It was then that Katara noticed Zuko wasn’t evacuating like the rest of them. He had a dark look on his face that she had never seen before.

“Go ahead, I’ll hold them off.” He said with an almost eerily measured calm. “I think this is a family visit.”

“Zuko—no!” Aang cried after him as he dived through a hole in the doors and off towards the airships.

Katara had little time to worry after Zuko as she and Sokka rushed to help Aang with his large and uncooperative companion.

“Come on, we’ve got to get out of here!” Sokka said urgently as he grabbed hold of the reins.  Appa groaned in protest as the trio began tugging on Appa’s reins using their combined weight to try to drag the bison to the safety of the tunnel.

“I can’t get him to go in there! Appa hates tunnels,” Aang said as the three of them continued to tug on the flying bison’s reins.

“Aang, there’s no way we can fly out of here,” she told him as all three of them loosened their grip.

“We’ll have to find a way.”

“We need to split up.” Sokka immediately slipped into Plan Guy mode, addressing Haru and the others in the tunnel. “Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship.”

Katara felt her stomach knot as she realized what that meant. “No! The Fire Nation can’t separate our family again!”

Hakoda’s face turned dour as he took her by the shoulders. “It’ll be okay; it’s not forever.”

Though he was trying to reassure her, Katara felt all the anger that was roiling inside her bubble to the surface. This wasn’t fair. This wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Why was the Fire Nation always taking away the things that mattered most to her?

Reluctantly, she gave in and quickly embraced her father, holding back tears and hoping that it really would not be long before they were reunited again.

Katara turned and ran back to Appa, climbing up into the saddle on Appa’s back. She reached down to help Suki in as she and Sokka joined them.

“I can clear that away and we can fly out through there,” Toph stated as she bent herself onto Appa.

“Um, there’s an awful lot of fire in that general direction.” Suki visibly cringed as the temple continued to shake and crumble around them.

“We’ll get through,” Aang’s said, determination clear in his voice. “Let’s go.”

Toph indeed managed to clear the rubble out of their way as they burst through and into the ravine where the Fire Nation airships hovered portentously. Using some of the rubble as a shield, they sailed past Azula as she fired on them. Before she could fire on them again however, her attention was quickly drawn back to Zuko who reappeared on top of another airship.

The group of teens all looked on in astonishment at what was unfolding. Zuko and Azula began to exchange blasts of blue and orange flames, but Katara had no time to focus on the outcome of their fight. Firebenders on the other airships had started hurtling fire blasts at them. Uncorking her water skins, Katara stood in the saddle and began bending the water to dodge the blasts.

Aang managed to keep Appa from careening into a nearby airship, and they continued to try to make their escape. Katara turned around just in time to watch Zuko and Azula exchange explosive blows that sent them both flying off their respective perches.

“Aang! Look!” she shouted, pointing to where Zuko was falling.

“On it!”

Katara watched as Zuko fell through the sky and her heart pounded in her chest. She inwardly prayed for Aang to hurry as the seconds crawled by. Finally, just as they were close enough, Katara braced herself against the saddle as she reached up and snatched Zuko out of the sky, slamming him down next to her. They both stared at each other for a brief, wordless moment, panting slightly from the adrenaline rush, before Zuko’s attention was diverted back to see the fate of his sister.

“She’s not going to make it.” Zuko’s voice was quiet and somewhat sad as he watched her continue to plunge through the air. She continued to free fall for a few seconds before a burst of flames shot from her feet sending her right into the rock face. With a flip that would make Ty Lee jealous Azula landed against the cliff and slid down the side until she found her grip and skidded to a stop. Clearly it would take more than a little fall to take down the princess of the Fire Nation.

“Of course she did,” Zuko intoned bitterly as they flew away from the temple that had been their safe haven for the last few days.

With the chaos over, everyone finally had a chance to breathe easy as they searched for a place to set up camp. Katara sat in the saddle quietly seething at the sudden change of events; her brow furrowed in an obvious scowl. Once again her family had been forced apart by the Fire Nation and Katara couldn’t help but feel personally slighted.

“Katara?” Zuko’s voice intruded on her thoughts.

“What?”

“Thank you for catching me,” he stated plainly with genuine gratitude.

Katara narrowed her eyes at him. “You saved my life; I saved yours. We’re even,” she replied curtly, all hint of civility gone.

Zuko seemed to scrutinize her for a moment, sensing the sudden change in her demeanor, and frowned. Katara merely turned away, not wanting to talk to him any further. She had done the right thing and now she was finished. With her father gone there was no longer any point to trying to be nice to Zuko. The little voice of her conscience in the back of her head tried to reason with her but she quickly quashed it. She had tried to play by the rules and it had gotten her nowhere.

Internally, something inside her snapped and she was furious—furious with the Fire Nation, furious with the war, furious with Azula, and furious with Zuko. Nothing good ever came from her dealings with the Fire Nation, and it continued to be personal. As far as she was concerned, Katara wanted nothing more to do with anything related to the Fire Nation—least of all Zuko.


	2. Finding Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters. I just like playing with their lives and bending them to my imagination. All ownership goes to Bryke and Nickelodeon.

 

**Crippled Anger**

_**Chapter 2 - Finding Answers** _

" _Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."_

\- Paul Boese

* * *

The flames of the fire danced and swayed in the wind while Katara glared at the element that came to represent nothing but destruction in her life. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. Just when things had started to look up everything got swept out from under them in blasts of blue fire.  _Stupid Fire Nation_.  _Stupid Azula_.

Flicking her gaze to her left she studied Zuko quietly. Another swell of uncontrollable anger roiled through her as he drank tea with the others, completely and totally relaxed. It was his fault Azula had attacked them she was sure of it. She wouldn't have known they were there had it not been for him. It didn't matter what her father said—had it really been just a couple days ago? Forgiveness wasn't something she was ready to give him, she wasn't sure if she ever would be.

"Wow, camping." Aang's voice broke the silence. "It really seems like old times again, doesn't it?"

Katara grimaced, she knew what Aang was trying to do but for once she wasn't even remotely in the mood for his attempts at levity.

"If you really want to feel like old times, I could, uhh… chase you around a while and try to capture you." Zuko awkwardly responded.

"Hah hah." She deadpanned. The nerve of him! Trying to make a joke out of chasing Aang around and the grief he put them through. Clearly she was alone in her bitter reaction to Zuko's weak attempts at humor. Sokka beamed at the Fire Nation prince as if he was a proud teacher and Zuko was his student.

"To Zuko, who knew after all those times he tried to snuff us out, today, he'd be our hero." He raised his cup of tea in salute the others following suit. Katara gripped her cup even tighter, the tea within froze instantaneously.

"Here, here!" The voices of her companions chimed in.

She didn't notice the genuine smile that lit Zuko's face but the happiness in his voice was enough to make her stomach clench. "I'm touched. I don't deserve this."

That was it. She wasn't going to sit here while everyone stroked Zuko's ego. They might be able to forgive him for all his misdeeds in the past and how his continued presence put them at risk, but she wasn't. Her gaze lifted from her cup to glare at him. "Yeah, no kidding."

His yellow eyes met hers confused and scrutinizing. Wordlessly she stood and left the circle of fire that lit their small campsite.

* * *

Zuko watched Katara turn and leave, making her way off to the edge of the cliffs beyond some rocks. Normally he would give her space to calm down. Clearly whatever was bothering her wasn't just going to go away over night but this was getting ridiculous. Didn't they just start to get along? She finally seemed to start being a little less spiteful to him but now it felt like he was right back to square one.

"What's with her?" Sokka cocked an eyebrow in the direction of his sister.

"I wish I knew." Zuko replied gruffly and stood up. He was going to find out though. This was going to be settled one way or another. Otherwise, there was no way they would be able to fight his father if they couldn't come together as a team.

Following the same path the Waterbender had taken just moments before, he found her staring out over the water. Her hair danced around her shoulders in the wind as the roaring waves of the ocean crashing on the rocks below kicked up a gentle mist that chilled the air. For a moment the sight of her, kneeling there with her back to him made him momentarily pause, slightly intimidated. Confronting her now with her element just within reach might not be the wisest decision but he hoped that it wouldn't come to that. He'd fought with her enough in the past; he didn't want to do it again if he could help it.

Katara visibly stiffened sensing his approach and immediately straightened up to walk away again. Zuko squared his shoulders and swallowed his nerves, it was now or never. "This isn't fair. Everyone else seems to trust me now, what is it with you?"

She whirled on him so fast Zuko cringed at the fury in her face. "Oh, everyone trusts you now?  _I_  was the first person to trust you. Remember? Back in Ba Sing Se." She pointed out to the ocean as if pointing to Ba Sing Se just in the distance. "And you turned around and betrayed me. Betrayed all of us."

The guilt that he had held within made him unable to look at her. He knew she was right and his decision in those caves continued to haunt him. Many sleepless nights in the Fire Nation left him startling awake in the middle of the night as he remembered the hurt and betrayal in her eyes.  _"I thought you had changed!"_ He thought he had too, but this time was different. He  _had_  changed, and he was going to prove it.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" He raised his head challengingly and for a moment saw her blue eyes flash with surprise before they returned to the cold angry depths that they were so often when she looked at him.

"You really want to know?" She stalked towards him, like a cat cornering a mouse, but Zuko refused to budge. "Hmm, maybe you could reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King. Or, I know." She pushed forward and the intensity of the fury in her eyes made him take a step back. "You could bring my mother back!" He was so stunned that he barely even noticed when she intentionally collided with his shoulder as she stormed away back towards camp.

Releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding Zuko was relieved that she hadn't bent him into the afterlife, but that hadn't gone at all like he had hoped. Sighing dejectedly he wondered how on earth he was ever going to get her to trust him.  _"The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."_  Her tearful voice rang in his memories. What had happened? Clearly, whatever issues she was having with him were tied to the memory of her mother. There was no way he could just ask her what had happened. Surely there was  _someone_  and then it clicked: Sokka! Sokka would be able to tell him what happened.

Finally, with renewed purpose Zuko strode back to camp to look for the one person who might be able to unravel the maddening mystery that was his sister.

* * *

_Black snow rained down from the blue sky. Katara looked up at the sky with wide blue eyes not understanding what this unusual sign meant but something in her made her suddenly panic. Whatever this new snow was, it wasn't good. Exchanging panicked looks with her older brother it was obvious that he had the same feeling too. "I'm going to find Mom."_

_She didn't know why she suddenly felt so afraid but she needed to find her mother and soon. Running as fast as her little legs could carry her, her heart swelled when she recognized their small hut._

" _Mom!" Bounding inside Katara stopped dead when she saw her mother kneeling on the floor as an unfamiliar man in a red uniform stood over her. The man turned at the unexpected interruption and the look he gave Katara made her suddenly want to cry. No one had ever looked at her with the hate and loathing that this man did._

" _Just let her go and I'll give you the information you want." Her mother's gentle voice pleaded with the man._

" _You heard your mother, get out of here!" His voice was as harsh as his eyes as it snapped at her._

_Paralyzed with fright Katara could only gaze from the horrible man to her mother. "Mom, I'm scared."_

_Her mother's gaze softened, "Go find your Dad, sweetie. I'll handle this." Katara shook her head softly looking from the reassuring gaze of her mother back up at the man. He continued to stare down at her furiously, his dark brown eyes holding no warmth. With one more look at her mother she found the courage to turn around and run. She had to find her dad and fast._

_The cold air burned her lungs as she sucked in breath after breath rushing to find her father amongst the warriors. It seemed an eternity before she finally found him fighting another one of the strange men in red. "Dad! Dad!" She shouted desperately. "Please, I think Mom's in trouble! There's a man in our house."_

_Dropping the man immediately, the stricken look on Hakoda's face frightened Katara more than the man with the soulless brown eyes had. "Kya!" In a few short bounds he was up the hill and following Katara as they ran back to their hut. Throwing aside the curtain they rushed inside. The man was no longer there but Katara's mother was crumpled lifeless on the ground._

"Mom!" Katara cried out as she shot awake. The only sound that greeted her in the stillness of her tent was her heavy breathing. With a choked sob she desperately gripped the pendant around her neck for reassurance as she tried to fend off the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. She hadn't had the nightmare in quite some time. Why did it have to haunt her now? Rubbing her eyes she hugged her knees tightly to her chest. The memory of finding her mother's body was still clear years later. Her younger self had refused to believe that their mother could really be gone. She had been so calm, so sure just moments before, what had happened in Katara's brief absence? Why did that man have to kill her mother?

The putrid smell of burnt flesh and fabric still lingered in the air that day, the memory of it causing her stomach to lurch. The worst had been that she hadn't even been able to cry at the time. In fact, she had never cried. Not in front of her father, Sokka, or Gran Gran. It was like a part of her had died that day with her mother. The innocence of her childhood was gone, ripped away by a man with malicious brown eyes.

The early morning sunlight peaked into her tent through the gap in the flap. The faint presence of the moon tingling along her bending senses told her that it was still early enough that no one else would be awake for some time still. While another hour of sleep sounded like a good idea, the thought of being tortured again by her memories was enough to put all thoughts of sleep aside. With a ragged sigh she decided that she would just get an earlier start today than usual.

Pulling on her boots Katara stood and exited the small tent; the sight that greeted her stopping her instantly. Zuko sat crouched on a rock in front of her tent head drooped down in sleep and for a split second Katara almost saw him differently. He was just another boy like Sokka; awkward and prideful, caught somewhere between a boy and a man. She shook her head, thoughts like that were treacherous. Had he been here all night? Was he insane? What was he trying to prove? When his head snapped up blinking blearily at her she schooled her face in the familiar scowl she had reserved only for him.

"You look terrible." Her tone was dismissive. It was too early to be dealing with this and her nightmare only served to make her more irritable. Moving past him she bent over to dig through her bag.

"I waited out here all night." His voice was clearly exhausted. Yep, he was crazy. Righting herself Katara proceeded to comb her hair keeping her back to Zuko. So what if he had waited out here all night? It wasn't like she had anything to do with that but a part of her was very curious as to why he would go to such lengths to get her attention.

"What do you want?"

"I know who killed your mother." The comb stopped dead in her hands. That was not the answer she had been expecting. "I'm going to help you find him." Neither was that.

Turning around to gape at him in shock his gaze met hers unwaveringly. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously she asked, "How do you know what happened to my mother?"

He flushed with embarrassment, "I kind of asked Sokka."

"Figures." She responded tersely. That traitor. Sokka was going to get an earful later. "What makes you think I'd go anywhere with you?"

"Because, haven't you always wanted answers? To know the reason why that man killed your mother? I know who it was, or rather, the group that he was with and I can help you find him."

"What's in it for you?"

"Nothing. I just want to help you. I know what it's like to lose your mother—to have thousands of questions but no answers. And the nightmares that come with that kind of memory. Never knowing what really happened." His voice trailed off quietly.

Katara winced. Zuko had never elaborated on what had happened to his mother but for once she took some comfort in having someone understand what effect that kind of loss had. Even if it was the last person on earth she had really wanted to sympathize with her. Then again, her mind circled back to the chance that this could be a ploy. It was the topic of their mothers that had gotten her to believe him the last time and Aang bore the scars of that decision. She wasn't about to make that mistake twice. "How do I know this isn't a trap?"

"Dammit Katara, I'm not like that anymore!" He snapped. "If I wanted to hurt or capture any of you I would have done so when Azula showed up but if you'd rather stay here and not find the man who killed your mother, fine. See if I care." Zuko turned away to stomp back to his tent.

Katara had to admit, he had a fair point. In the short time that he joined their group Zuko had had numerous opportunities to take advantage of them or to turn them in to his sister or his father. She had always hoped to find answers to her mother's murder but by this time she had honestly assumed that it was not to be and that she would always be left wondering about that dreadful day.

Swallowing her pride Katara reached out and grabbed Zuko's wrist to stop him. "Fine, I'll go with you, but this doesn't mean that I trust you—yet."

Glancing back at her in surprise, he nodded. "I understand."

* * *

" _The monks used to say that revenge is like a two-headed ratviper. While you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned yourself."_

Aang's voiced echoed in Katara's head as she sat on Appa. Convincing the monk and her brother that Zuko's idea was one she needed to follow through on had not been easy. In the end she and Zuko had decided that they were going to have to steal Appa to accomplish their task. That hadn't ended well when Sokka and Aang had caught them. Aang had once more tried to convince Katara that forgiveness would be the higher road but in the end his preaching had only left her more determined to find this man who troubled her dreams since the day her mother was so cruelly taken away from her.

Finally, they relented, albeit reluctantly. Sokka had never really understood Katara's reaction to their mother's death. It hadn't been something they could often talk about. He hadn't been there when they found her. He hadn't been the one who failed to help her.

More than anyone, Katara had hoped that Aang might understand a bit better what she was going through. She wondered absently what he would do if he could directly face the soldiers responsible for what had happened at the Southern Air Temple—to his friends, to Gyatso. Would his teachings and beliefs hold out then? She shuddered as she remembered the handful of times his rage had led him to accidentally turn on the Avatar State. As much as what he said made sense, she knew that it was easier to say things than to actually follow through with them when you are faced with a similar decision. Sometimes his innocence and Airbender ways infuriated Katara. This was one of those times. She adored Aang, he was important to her, but she needed him to understand that she needed this.

"You all right?" Zuko's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I'm fine."

The tone of her voice made it clear that she didn't feel like discussing her feelings and Katara was internally grateful that Zuko at least understood that much when he didn't press her further. Several long moments passed before Zuko spoke up again, this time leaning over the saddle to explain his plan.

"We need to find the Fire Navy communication tower. All the navy's movements are coordinated by messenger hawk. And every tower has to be up to date on where everyone is deployed." His voice was slightly louder than normal so that it could be heard over the wind.

"So once we find the communication tower, we bust in and take the information we need." Seemed easy enough to Katara.

"Not exactly, we need to be stealthy and make sure no one spots us. Otherwise, they'll warn the Southern Raiders long before we reach them."

"That won't be a problem. I know how to be stealthy." She assured him grimly. Katara could feel Zuko's quizzical gaze on her back but she wasn't about to elaborate on her experience as the Painted Lady now. Scratching the top of Appa's head she encouraged the sky bison forward. "Come on Appa, just a little further."

* * *

When Katara said she had no problems being stealthy she had meant it. Zuko could not believe that this was the same girl he had battled in the Northern Water Tribe just months earlier. She moved with a skill and purpose reserved only for the masters. They had made it in and out of the communication tower without anyone even knowing they had been there in the first place.

As they continued on into the night toward Whale Tail Island Zuko didn't know exactly when he had fallen asleep but it felt like only minutes had passed by the time he woke up again. Sitting up he found Katara still poised on Appa's head, the reins gripped tightly in her hands. The lack of sleep was starting to show on her face and Zuko began to grow concerned that maybe this hadn't been the best idea. He had never seen her looking as severe as she did now.

Crawling forward towards her he spoke gently. "You should get some rest. We'll be there in a few hours. You'll need all your strength."

"Now, don't you worry about my strength. I have plenty. I'm not the helpless little girl I was when they came."

Silence hung over them briefly before Katara began to re-tell him the story of how her mother had died but this time from her own perspective. Sokka's memories had not been as clear or graphic and Zuko was left feeling utterly inadequate. While he had indeed lost his mother to the harsh nature of the Fire Nation and the cruel plotting of his father he still was able to hold onto the hope that she was still alive out there somewhere. Katara on the other hand held no such hope and he wondered how it was possible to go on when someone you loved so much was gone. That thought caused the image of Uncle Iroh's face to flash in his mind.

"I ran as fast as I could. But we were too late. When we got there, the man was gone." Katara's grim voice began to crack and Zuko cringed internally at the sound. "And so was she."

How do you respond to something like that? Zuko was unsure. He was caught between being profoundly humbled that she finally felt at ease enough with him to share her memories and painfully aware that there was nothing he could possibly say to make her feel better.

"Your mother was a brave woman." He hoped that would suffice.

Her shoulders hunched forward as she touched the pendant around her neck. "I know."

Uneasily Zuko reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder. "She would want you to get some rest and take care of yourself. I can take over steering Appa. I know you're strong but even the strongest warriors know when to take a break."

Looking back at him Katara's expression seemed dazed and lost; she nodded mutely and crawled back into the saddle. Zuko careful crawled out of the saddle and onto Appa's head taking the reins with a relieved sigh. Pushing herself was not going to do Katara any good, Zuko knew the trouble a drive like that can have firsthand and this mission was stressful enough without her overtaxing herself. Besides, she had a brother that would kill him if he brought Katara back unconscious and exhausted—not to mention a very powerful Avatar.

It wasn't long before Katara fell asleep, curled in a ball in the middle of the saddle. "One second Appa, I'll be back." Zuko patted Appa's head and then climbed back up into the saddle. Making his way over to Katara's sleeping form he pulled out one of the blankets from their packs and wrapped it around her. The carved pendant around her neck glinted in the moonlight and Zuko silently swore to himself that he was going to make sure she came out of this. There was no way to know exactly what was in store for them when they reached Whale Tail Island but he was sure that he wouldn't let her do anything she'd come to regret. He didn't know why it mattered to him so much but he just couldn't stand the idea of her coming away from this experience with more bad memories. This was supposed to be about closure, not more scars.

Touching his own very real scar at the thought Zuko frowned and turned back to climb onto Appa's head to take up the reins again. He chalked his odd thoughts up to the fact that the rest of their group would never forgive him if he let the one person that held them together come back in worse shape than when she left, either physically or emotionally.

* * *

Getting the location of Yon Rha's village hadn't taken much coaxing. The new commander of the Southern Raiders was clearly terrified and eagerly told them where they would find his predecessor. Backtracking to the Fire Nation Islands would take a few hours and Zuko had allowed Katara to resume the reins. Her body was rigid as her eyes stared indifferently out over the water. The emotional strain she was under was become more and more obvious, Zuko started to seriously have doubts on just how good of an idea this really was.

What really unsettled him was the bending power she had used on the commander. He had never seen anything like that before and seeing the man helpless as his body moved and contorted against his will left Zuko feeling rather unnerved. Who would have thought that Katara would have such a power? How did she come about this and when? He was sure that if she had had that ability before she would have used it on him. That thought made him shudder.

Staring at her back the question bubbled up before he could stop it, "What did you do back there?"

"What do you mean?" Her voice was flat.

"You know what I mean, what you did to that commander. I-It was like you were bending his body." He leaned over the edge of the saddle to try to read her expression.

Katara visibly cringed. "Please, I really don't want to talk about it. It was a power given to me against my will; let's just leave it at that." She weakly pleaded.

Zuko frowned; he could tell that the subject was a sensitive one and while his curiosity demanded that he get more answers he decided to let the topic drop—for the time being at least.

* * *

The rain was relentless as it poured down outside the cave, thunder occasionally rolling through the angry looking clouds. While the rain alone wouldn't have been enough to keep them from flying, the lightning that erratically burst from the clouds had forced them to find shelter. It had taken some time but eventually Zuko had managed to find a cave big enough for the two of them and Appa.

Immediately after setting down Zuko had set back off into the storm to try to find some wood to start a fire, leaving Katara with Appa and her thoughts that were equally as tumultuous as the storm outside. She had finally done it. She had finally come face to face with the man who had irrevocably altered her life all those years ago. After all the pain and agony she finally had the answers she sought, but was that enough? Now she knew, without a doubt, that her mother had died to protect her—to keep her abilities a secret.

The questions now turned into fresh guilt at being left alive while her mother was no more; all because Katara had been born a Waterbender: the last of her tribe. She wondered absently if this was at all similar to the guilt that Aang seemed to carry on his shoulders all the time, but on a greater scale. Comparing one pain or loss to another was futile, she knew that, but now with the red hot flames of anger and revenge now receded she realized that she had a lot of apologizing to do when they finally got back to their friends.

Appa's disgruntled moan broke her chain of thought.

"Hang on big guy, I'll get you dry." She assured the giant beast, bending as much water from his fur as she could. He grumbled in appreciation nuzzling her with his snout. Smiling weakly she repeated the same actions for her own clothing, drying them in moments.

A flash of lightning streaked across the sky momentarily illuminating the cave as Zuko returned, wood in hand. Steam rose from his shoulders in a feeble attempt to keep the rain at bay and he looked positively miserable. "I found some wood, but I don't know how usable it's going to be."

"Waterbender, remember?" With practiced ease Katara pulled the water from the wood just as she had her clothes and Appa.

"Oh, right. Well, that helps." He acknowledged awkwardly.

"Here, stay still, I'll do the same for your clothes." Katara's lips curved into a small smirk at his obvious unease. Teasing him was incredibly easy.

"No need, I got it. Firebender, remember?" Side-stepping her to place the wood on the ground Zuko closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing internally. Katara watched inquisitively as the steam increased and then faded, leaving his clothing dry. His eyes blinked open again to return her smirk, yellow eyes flashing with an unspoken challenge.

"Huh, neat trick." She stated casually, leaning forward to grab his sleeve, testing that the fabric was truly dry.

"Trick?" He intoned incredulously.

"Well, wouldn't you burn your clothes if you aren't careful?" It was a simple enough question and she was merely curious.

"I'm always careful."

"Right, and Toph's feet got burned because your self-control is  _so_  impressive." Before the words had even left her mouth Katara regretted them. She hadn't meant them to come out as cruelly as they had but Zuko's stiffened posture told her that her words had stung. Internally she scolded herself.

"Zuko, I didn't mean that."

"Yes you did, and you're right. I'm not always careful but at least I'm trying to learn." The cool resentment in Zuko's tone made Katara cringe. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a fire to build if you want to stay warm."

More guilt compounded on top of the old and Katara stood wringing her hands unsure of what to do. Tense silence settled between them as Zuko went about setting up a fire with his back to her, his body language radiating avoidance. Appa had managed to fit his hulking form into a corner of the cave and lay down to rest with a contented moan, blissfully unaware of the strain between his human companions. Shifting awkwardly Katara hesitated before letting out a sigh and settling down next to the sky bison as she tried to focus on anything but Zuko.

Her mind wandered back to her encounter just a couple hours earlier. Yon Rha wasn't at all like she had remembered him in her nightmares. Old and greasy, he was a miserable man living a pathetic life and while she should take some comfort in the karmic justice of that fact, it only made her feel worse somehow. After all that searching, after all the rage that she had kept locked inside, despite her every intention of harming him, when faced with the reality, she couldn't do it.

When she stood there, the rain coalescing in the air and forming ice spears poised to impale the man cowering before her, all she could see was her mother's face on that day. Her mother wouldn't want her to do this. Her mother hadn't sacrificed herself just for Katara to soil her hands with this man's life. In that moment she had thought of Jet and how his own need for revenge had spurred him on to do terrible things and Katara was determined to do better. Aang had been right; holding on to her anger was doing nothing but rotting her from the inside. It had to go.

A small fire crackled to life in the middle of the cave floor as Zuko coaxed it to life with his bending. Blinking back to the present Katara watched Zuko dig into his pack pulling out some of the dried fruits and nuts they had packed before setting out.

"Here, this should hold us over until we can meet up with Sokka and the others." He stated, coming over to all but shove the small pouch in her hands.

"Thanks," she muttered.

Zuko wordlessly settled down on the other side of the fire, gaze settling on its flickering depths, obviously focusing on anything but her. It was like they were back at the Western Air Temple again, only this time it was him ignoring her instead of the other way around. Once again she found herself inescapably stuck in a cave with this boy, and while he wasn't exactly her enemy any longer she was struggling with finding ways to define what he was to her now.

"You didn't try to stop me." She kept her eyes focus on the orange and yellows of the fire before her but the unspoken question was there, hanging between them. She needed more answers, but this time from the one person who had come to be the personification in her mind of all the anger and hatred she had been holding onto for so long.

From her periphery she noticed Zuko shift; he seemed taken by surprise at her statement. "It wasn't my place to stop you. I knew you weren't going to kill him."

Now it was her turn to be surprised. "You knew? How did you know?  _I_  didn't even know what I was going to do."

Zuko shrugged as if this answer shouldn't shock her, "I just did. You're not the kind of person to hurt people on purpose."

His presumption of her character caused the fragile balance of her control to waver. The nerve of him! Aang and even Sokka had been concerned that she would dispense violent retribution upon Yon Rha, how could Zuko possibly think he would know any better?

"How the heck do you know what kind of person I am?" She sneered.

"Sometimes I wonder." Zuko fumed in response.

"And what is  _that_  supposed to mean?" She demanded indignantly, shooting to her feet to fix him with an icy glare.

Zuko stood as well but his expression was one of exhausted frustration. This was a dance they were clearly both fed up with. "I see how you can be with everyone else. I know that you can be kind and caring and that for a moment in those caves you forgave me. I know that I blew it afterward, and that I made the wrong decision, and I will always be sorry for that, but you don't have to keep punishing me for it! I'm not the one who killed your mother. You've seen him. That man doesn't regret what he did and yet you left him unharmed.

"I didn't have to take you on this trip. I could have just left things as they were but for some reason your opinion matters to me. I want you to see that I'm not the same as Yon Rha. I'm not going to harm the people you care about. I know that I was a jerk in the past but that's not who I am now and I think I deserve a chance to prove that without you constantly reminding me that I failed." Sucking in a rattling breath Zuko sat back down his eyes defiantly focusing on the fire once more.

Katara stood there, staring into space with her jaw hung open in stunned silence. His words were like a punch in the stomach, immediately robbing her of any further retorts she may have thought to sling his way. Deep down she knew he was right. After all of this she had no right to continue tormenting him with the past and her mistrust. The words of her father, Toph, Aang, and the others who counseled her with such advice overwhelmed her like a flood.  _"He deserves a chance Katara."_  Her father had all but begged.

The memory of her mother floated to the surface yet again. Her kind and gentle mother whom she would never see again and she found she couldn't hold back the dam any longer. Katara raised a shaking hand to her cheek to touch the wetness there as if to confirm that these were indeed her tears. Crumpling to her knees she put her face in her hands and gave in to the urge to sob that her body so desperately yearned for.

"Oh no, I didn't mean to make you cry. You were just supposed to start yelling at me or something." Zuko's worried and nervous voice was by her side in seconds the instant he noticed her sobs.

She couldn't help the laugh that escaped in a hiccup as she cried. His response was so like him somehow. "Idiot, I'm the one that's supposed to be apologizing." She managed to reply between sniffles.

Using her cowl she managed to wipe away the tears long enough to give a very puzzled Zuko a weak smile. "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve to be yelled at. "

"Uh, it's okay." He scratched the back of his head uncomfortably.

"No, it's not." Katara shook her head. She needed to explain, to make him understand. "For the longest time I have been holding on to all this anger and pain. When I'm taking care of my brother and the others, or the tribe back home, it is easier to just bury everything. To put it aside, but then you started chasing us and I had a face to put to all my negative feelings. To me, there was no danger greater than you.

"But then, in those caves, you were different. Suddenly, you were just like me with fears and doubts, and I wanted so badly to believe you. To believe that you had changed and then you just had to join your sister. I was so angry at you, but most of all I was maddest at myself for believing you. We almost lost Aang that night and if it hadn't been for the water from the Spirit Oasis, Aang would have died."

"Katara, I—" Zuko tried to interject put Katara put up a hand to cut him off.

"Please, let me finish," she pleaded. "I know that you're sorry, but I just need you to listen." She waited for his silent nod before continuing.

"When you followed us to the Western Air Temple I thought for sure you were coming to betray us all over again. To betray  _me_  and I wasn't about to stand by while you tried to get close to Aang. Everyone told me I was being ridiculous. Aang, Sokka, Toph—even my dad. He said that you helped to rescue him and anyone who would put his life on the line like that deserved a second chance, but I refused to listen. Taking out my anger and guilt on you was easy, facing my own problems was hard, and now, here we are, stranded on some Fire Nation Island and I still can't bring myself to let it all go. Even after you helped me find my mother's killer I'm still horrible enough that I can't say anything nice to you."

She swallowed thickly as the tears flooded her eyes once more and Katara just let them flow. Just like in Ba Sing Se she found herself confessing to Zuko. Confessing her thoughts and feelings that she hadn't shared with the others and once there was no more to be said all that was left were her tears. Shifting on the floor so that she could hug her knees to her chest Katara buried her face in her arms and continued to weep openly as all the anguish of the last six years bubbled to the surface.

"This isn't just about being mad at me anymore is it?" Zuko's voiced asked from her side and she could only shake her head in response.

There was a warmth on her shoulder as she felt his hand pat her in an uncharacteristic gesture she was sure he meant to be comforting as she poured out all the pain that she had been carrying by herself for so long.

* * *

It was almost sunset by the time they landed on Ember Island. The rain had finally ceased and Zuko had decided that it would be best for them to set up a new camp at his parents' abandoned summer home. Katara was too tired to protest. After crying herself out she was left feeling somewhat hollow inside.

Zuko had set Appa down long enough to drop her off. "I'm going to get the others so we can settle here for the night. The house might be a bit dusty, but it should have rooms and beds we can use."

That had been almost two hours ago. The sky was a mix of orange and gray as the sun set in the distance. Katara hadn't bothered exploring the house. She had made herself comfortable at the edge of the long decrepit dock, the calming presence of the water a familiar and soothing one. It was there she remained alone with her thoughts until Appa's growl alerted her to Zuko's return with Aang and the others.

"Katara!" Aang's worried voice called to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm doing fine." She said simply, without turning.

"Zuko told me what you did." He rubbed his head awkwardly. "Or… what you didn't do, I guess. I'm proud of you."

"I wanted to do it. I wanted to take out all my anger at him, but I couldn't." Her voice was despondent. "I don't know if it's because I'm too weak to do it or if it's because I'm strong enough not to."

"You did the right thing," he replied reassuringly, "Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing."

Pushing herself up to stand Katara looked at Aang with anger in her expression. "But I didn't forgive him. I'll  _never_  forgive him."

Her expression softened as her gaze fell on Zuko standing quietly in the background. "But I am ready to forgive you."

Approaching him she wondered how she could possibly express just how grateful she was to him. For all the grief and torment she had given him since joining their team he continued to try to show her that he had changed, but she had been so blinded by her hatred and anger that she couldn't see it. All those times he offered to help her with the chores, training Aang, fighting off Azula, rescuing her father—he really had changed, and it was time for her to prove herself to him.

His amber eyes shined with curious surprise as she smiled gently at him. There was some wariness there that she could not blame him for and it was then she did something impulsive. She closed the gap between them and threw her arms around his shoulders. Without hesitation his arms wound around her pulling her closer into the embrace and Katara hugged him tighter. She relished the warmth that surrounded her as they stood like that holding one another, finally able to put the past where it belonged: behind them. When they released one another Katara was pleased to see a diminutive smile on Zuko's face. It was nice to see him smile she thought, it was something she had never bothered to notice before, but now it gave her a sense of comfort. They both deserved to smile more.

Continuing back up the dock to the beach Katara noticed Sokka standing by Appa, looking hesitant.

"Hey Katara," he greeted her. "How are you holding up?"

She smiled at him, "I'm better now. I'm so sorry for snapping at you the other day. I went too far."

Sokka's eyes widened in shock momentarily at her forthright apology but immediately shrugged it off like it was no big deal. "It's okay; I knew you didn't mean it."

"I love you too." She told him, moving forward to hug him tightly.

"Yeah, well, I love you too." He hugged her back.

"Glad to see you're back to your senses Sugar Queen." Toph called down to her from Appa's saddle.

"Thanks Toph! Now get down here and help set up camp, and don't you dare think about trying to sneak out of your share either." She teased the younger girl.

"What's there to set up? We're at a house this time aren't we?"

"Yes, but it hasn't been used in years and there's probably lots of cleaning to be done before we can use anything. I'll need everyone to pitch in." Katara's tone took on a familiar motherly edge.

"Ugh, this stinks! This had better be worth it." Toph grumbled.

Katara laughed genuinely for the first time in what seemed like forever. Looking around at her friends she felt the hollowness inside filling up again. There was still much left to be done on their journey. The war was far from over but, for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Katara was at peace. The painful memory of her mother's loss would always be there but now she could start to move past it. To come to terms with it and really live her life moving forward without always looking back. There was no telling how all of this was going to end, but what she knew for now was that thanks to the support of a certain Fire Nation prince, she would be able to sleep soundly tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's funny. I honestly meant for this story to be a one-shot and leave it at that. It wasn't meant to have a happy ending but somehow it has become my story with the most Story Alerts and it's been nagging at me. I'm not the type to like abrupt or unhappy endings either and I decided to play with this a bit more. I tried to avoid writing too much of what's in the show or on subjects I've written previously, but this was begging to be written and I hope that it's an acceptable conclusion to a soul-searching journey.
> 
> Special thanks as always goes to my friend Jazzpha for reading this through and giving me his feedback. Improvement is a process and it never can be done alone.


	3. Growing Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters. I just like playing with their lives and bending them to my imagination. All ownership goes to Bryke and Nickelodeon.
> 
> So... this "one-shot" has basically turned into my head canon for how I think the end of the series could've progressed. At the moment there's going to be five chapters total (most of 4 is written and 5 has some work on it) and I hope that's it. This thing has kind of taken on a life of it's own.
> 
> If you're reading this-thank you! Thank you for being interested in my story, my writing, and my silly head canon. It's nothing special but it has become my baby and I'm hoping that it leads to bigger and better things.

**Crippled Anger**

_**Chapter 3 - Growing Closer** _

" _The best thing about giving of ourselves is that what we get is always better than what we give. The reaction is greater than the action."_

\- Orison Swett Marden

* * *

The moon was nearing its zenith as the small group of teens headed back to their temporary island home in the Fire Nation.

"That... wasn't a good play." Zuko stated, breaking the thoughtful silence amongst them, his tone barely masking his mental  _I told you so_.

"I'll say." Aang replied half-heartedly.

"No kidding." Katara agreed.

"Horrible." Suki added.

"You said it." Toph concurred.

"But the effects were decent." Sokka said attempting to put some silver lining on the disaster that they had just come from.

Katara had to stifle the urge to turn around and strangle him; of course he would try to find something good in his horrible idea. Instead she let her mind wander, her annoyance with her brother quickly forgotten— _what a night._

It really had been the worst play they had ever seen. The fun night of distraction that Sokka had been hoping for had only served to depress everyone. Katara made a mental note to try to avoid any performance by the Ember Island Players in the future.

She remembered Zuko mentioning his mother dragging his family every year to—what was it called again? 'Love Amongst the Dragons'? She could only imagine what small measure of hell that had to have been. The mental image was hard to conjure, but she could at least picture a younger Zuko with his characteristic disgruntled look on his face. It made her giggle lightly.

Zuko turned to quirk an eyebrow at her over his shoulder. Katara couldn't help the blush that rose on her cheeks at being caught, "It was nothing."

His amber eyes narrowed unconvinced but he remained silent, merely shrugging and walking onward.

As they continued along the path up to the house Katara's thoughts eventually drifted to her conversation with Aang during the intermission, her eyes glanced at his figure walking just ahead of her. Fighting the urge to sigh out loud she crossed her arms around her middle as if to contain her jumbled emotions. She could still feel the fleeting pressure of Aang's lips against her own but rather than the joy most girls would feel at being kissed she just felt confused.

Of course she cared about Aang, loved him as family even, but was that it? That stupid play had brought up so many unpleasant memories, along with an extremely disheartening view of the possible future, and the last thing Katara felt she needed to focus on was her love life. There was too much at stake, too much to risk losing. She wished Aang would understand that instead of forcing her to confront feelings she had no solid grasp on whatsoever. It was starting to make her feel increasingly uncomfortable.

They reached the dilapidated beach house, everyone shuffling up the steps and inside. Silently they all started heading towards their own rooms for sleep.

"Um… Katara?"

Katara was just starting down the hallway when Aang came up to her, a sheepish look on his face.

Sighing internally, bracing herself, she turned to face him. "Yes, Aang?"

"I-I'm really sorry about earlier. I wasn't thinking and what they said in that play really bothered me." He gushed out the words, "I know it wasn't you but it still bothered me that you could think that. It's just that, well, when I kissed you that time before the invasion it felt like you kissed me back, and I guess that made me think you loved me too."

"Oh Aang." She sighed outwardly this time. This poor boy was shouldering the future of the whole world and sometimes it was so easy to forget that he was just a 12-year-old boy with regular needs and problems. With that realization Katara instantly felt guilty for snapping at him earlier.

Stepping forward she took him into her arms, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her middle hugging her in return.

"I do love you Aang, but right now I'm just not sure if it's the way you want me to love you." She chose her words as carefully as possible. "There is so much at stake that I just don't think now is a good time to be worrying about this."

He pulled away gray eyes pleading and pressed anxiously, "But when will you know? When is a good time?"

"I don't know Aang, but you have to give me a chance to figure out my feelings for myself." She did her best to keep the impatience from her voice.

It wasn't the answer he was looking for, she could see it clearly in his expression, but it had to be for now. He gave her a defeated nod. She gave him a small smile, "We should get some rest."

"Yeah, you're probably right." He slipped out of her embrace and headed towards his room, giving her a feeble smile before bidding her good night and disappearing around the corner.

As she watched him retreat around the corner Katara felt her body sag, and leaned against the wall for support. It was a good thing that this war would hopefully be over soon, no matter the outcome, because she was not sure how much more of this she could handle before she would break.

Pushing off the wall Katara made her way to her room, determined to get some rest and forget about the real world, if only for a few hours.

* * *

Rolling onto her side Katara kicked a foot from underneath the blanket in an attempt to cool off but to no avail. Nothing she did allowed her to get comfortable enough to sleep. She had been trying to fall asleep for what felt like hours but in reality had mostly likely only been one or two. Down the hall she could hear the faint snoring of her brother and Toph and she grumbled to herself. Sleeping, normally, wasn't a problem for her but tonight it just wouldn't grant her its peaceful embrace.

"This is stupid!" She huffed, throwing off her blanket and climbing out of bed. Maybe a walk down to the beach and the water would help calm her frayed nerves.

Cracking the door open slightly she peered into the hall. Stealth wasn't necessarily required as her brother slept through just about anything and Toph was a pretty heavy sleeper as well, but Katara still felt the need to try to be as undetectable as possible. With careful movements she made it from her room out the front entrance and into the warm muggy night air without so much as a hitch in Sokka's snoring.

Smiling to herself she ran down to the water's edge inhaling the briny scent of the ocean that surrounded their tiny haven. Being surrounded by this much water reminded her a great deal of home, even if it was on the extreme opposite end in temperature. Even the smell of the ocean was similar. Already it was doing wonders for her nerves.

Closing her eyes and inhaling deeply once more, Katara allowed her body to relax and her mind to clear. Focusing only on the sounds of the rolling waves she moved slowly through the basic Waterbending kata. Arms and legs moving from one form to the next with practiced skill. This was quickly becoming her favorite way of decompressing when things became too much to bear.

It wasn't long before she could sense that she was no longer alone. "It's not nice to sneak up on people you know."

"I'd almost think you were studying with Toph if you could tell I was here." Zuko sounded genuinely surprised.

Katara grinned and opened her eyes. "You're not as stealthy as you think you are."

"Neither are you. I heard you sneaking out."

"Spying on me now are you?" She teased.

"N-no!" Zuko sputtered, and Katara thought she could just make out the red flush on his cheeks in the moonlight. It was so easy to catch him off-guard and it never failed to make her smile.

"Then to what do I owe your visit to this evening, oh Prince?" She queried, hands on her hips smirking at her clearly uncomfortable companion.

Rubbing the back of his neck Zuko seemed to be arguing with himself on how to answer. "I thought—well, I don't really know what I thought, and I'm not spying on you but I just noticed, before bed, that you seemed really upset about something. And when I heard you go outside I thought you might still be." It all came out in a bit of an awkward rushed mumble, especially toward the end, that Katara wasn't quite sure she had heard him correctly.

"Were you worried about me?"

"No! Yes… maybe." He murmured, looking away and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Katara couldn't help as her smile grew. Zuko was strangely amusing at times and infuriating at others. It was easy to forget that he wasn't much older than she was. Kneeling down she picked up a handful of sand, relishing the feel as it slipped through her fingers. She wondered if she would ever get to enjoy a beach like this again after the war. Smiles faded as her thoughts changed to more unpleasant topics.

"What do you think will happen? When the war is over?" Katara mused out loud.

"You mean if we survive?" Zuko scoffed, picking up a shell from the sand and tossing it out at the water.

"Your optimism is contagious."

"Well you saw that play tonight. Do you honestly think we stand a chance? The Avatar has barely mastered the most basic Firebending forms."

"He has a name you know." She said admonishingly, dusting her hands of the sand as she stood up.

Zuko sighed with exasperation. "Yes, his name is Aang; doesn't change the fact that he's still not ready."

"Then it's up to us to make him ready."

"And just what miracle do you expect to pull off to get him there?" He turned to her, arms crossed over his chest, challenge plainly written in his features and stance.

"I don't know, okay? But we've come this far, we can't give up now." It was her turn to sound annoyed. "Aang benefits more from positive reinforcement and if we can't believe in him, how can he believe in himself? He's sensitive."

"Do you honestly even hear yourself?" Zuko snarled in disgust. "He isn't some panda-puppy we're training, he's the  _Avatar_. It's up to him to stop my father and make things right with this war and you're more concerned with his  _feelings_?"

"He's my friend! Of course I'm more concerned about his feelings. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders and no one seems to understand that!" Katara shouted in response.

"You can't baby him forever Katara. The good of the world has to come before what's best for Aang." Zuko stated grimly.

"You sound just like the other monks who wanted Aang to grow up before his time. He's only a boy!" She clenched her fists at her sides to keep from lashing out at Zuko with the first water whip she could conjure.

"And people are dying!" Zuko roared.

The gentle rushing of the waves was the only sound between them as they both glared daggers at each other. Just when Katara thought she had gotten over her anger issues regarding Zuko, he had to go and open his big mouth. After everything with the play and her talk with Aang earlier this was the last thing she needed. Of course she knew what was at stake if they failed—if  _Aang_  failed, but to constantly give in to those dark emotions wasn't good for him—for  _any_  of them.

"You think I don't know that?" Her voice was quiet and sadder than even she realized. "Zuko, I lost my mother to this war. Aang is the last of his people. We've all lost something to this, but the moment we give up hope is the moment we've lost."

Zuko's expression changed from angry to hurt and then to regretful all in the space of a few seconds as Katara spoke. With a heavy sigh he rubbed a hand over his face and attempted to calm himself.

"I know, I know. It's just… none of you know what my father is capable of. The things I saw while my Uncle and I were refugees. People shouldn't be made to suffer that way and it's up to us and Aang to fix that."

"And we will." Katara reached over and placed a comforting hand on his arm. "He can do this."

"How do you know?" Zuko asked, still doubtful.

"I just do."

"I wish I had your confidence." He grumbled.

She smirked, letting her hand drop back to her side. "You just need a little more positivity is all."

Zuko scoffed at that, bending over to pick up a shell from the sand and tossing it into the water. Gold eyes stared off broodingly over the water and Katara sighed. The moon's reflection rippled in the water as Katara's eyes drifted over the horizon. Her mind unconsciously wandered back over the play earlier that evening and her conversation with Aang that followed.

"Aang kissed me tonight."

The words were out of her mouth before she even realized she had any intention of saying them. She wasn't planning on telling anyone, least of all Zuko, but given her struggle to sleep she thought maybe confiding in someone else might just help her resolve her feelings little more.

"Uh, and is that a bad thing?" Zuko asked, clearly unsure of the sudden change of topic.

"No? Yes? I don't know." She said with a frustrated sigh, flopping down on the sand. "It's not the first time he's kissed me."

Zuko's brow furrowed, looking even more puzzled. "It's not?"

"No," she replied, drawing her knees to her chest, "the first time was on the Day of Black Sun, before the invasion. One moment we were saying good-bye and the next he was kissing me. I didn't even have time to react."

"So… why are you telling me this?" He said, sitting down next to her on the sand.

"I don't know, it's on my mind; you wanted to know why I was out here before so I'm telling you."

"Okay… well, uh, do you love him?"

Katara mulled the question over in her head before answering. "I care about him; he's like family to me, but romantically? I'm not sure. He hasn't really given me much of a chance to figure that out. He just swoops in when I'm not expecting it."

"Have you tried talking to him about it?" Zuko questioned. There was no hint of judgment in his tone, simply curiosity.

"He doesn't understand." She said despondently. "He wants me to know how I feel when all I can focus on is getting him ready for fighting the Fire Lord. There are more important things right now."

Zuko made a non-committal sound of agreement. She wondered if telling him all this really was a good idea, maybe she should've talked to Suki about it instead. Suki had more experience with these things after all, but that thought made Katara gag mentally when she realized much of that experience was tied to her brother.  _No, maybe not Suki._

"You should be honest with him." Zuko advised simply. "That's really all you can do. If he loves you as much as he says he does, he'll understand."

Katara blinked in astonishment. That seemed like rather sage advice coming from him, at least, it made sense to her and that was something. He turned to look at her, shrugging awkwardly. "Uncle says you can never force someone to feel something they don't."

"That's pretty good advice." She complimented.

Zuko smiled shyly and Katara found she felt more at ease than she had just a few short hours before.

* * *

Morning came too soon. Katara rolled over with a groan, clutching the spare pillow to her chest. The sunlight beamed happily in through her window reminding her that she should probably get up soon or else Sokka would be in demanding food from her. Just as she was about to fall back asleep she was jolted awake by the not-so-quiet sound of her door slamming open.

"Good mooooooorning Fire Nation!" Toph greeted enthusiastically.

"Toph, I know we don't usually sleep in houses but don't you know how to knock?" Katara grumbled.

"Nope! Saw no reason to, especially when you're just lazing around in bed when there's work to do." The young Earthbender sauntered into the room.

Rolling over on her back Katara threw an arm over her face. "I didn't sleep well last night. Would it kill you all to let me sleep in just once?"

"Well, Snoozles might complain about you not making him breakfast, but you know not staying in bed tends to make sleeping difficult, right?" She taunted, making herself comfortable on the edge of the bed.

Katara sat up instantly. "What do you mean?"

"Oh don't play coy. I heard you and Sparky sneak off last night. What were guys doing anyway?" Toph leaned back on her hands, head turned in Katara's general direction, a knowing smile on her face.

"Ugh, nothing Toph. We were just talking."

"Until nearly dawn?"

"Yes! We had a lot on our minds." Katara rubbed her temples; she could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on.

"Sure you did." Toph clearly didn't believe her but there was no way Katara was going to admit anything further. "Anyway, I was sent to get you. There's something Twinkles wants to talk to us about."

"Fine, I'll be out in a minute."

Satisfied with her answer, Toph got up and walked out the door, completely failing to close it behind her. With an annoyed sigh Katara crawled out of bed and closed it herself. Toph's lack of manners still managed to astound her at times considering the younger girl's upbringing. At least accepting it was getting easier.

Katara walked over to the vanity, bending water from a pitcher into a nearby basin where she proceeded to wash her face and get ready for the day. As she combed through the knots in her hair she thought about her conversation with Zuko the night before. They really had just ended up talking until nearly dawn. It surprised her that they could even have that much to talk about with each other but once they had gotten over their initial spat over Aang they had spent the rest of the time on random subjects. His time in the Earth Kingdom, her travels with Aang and the others; at times sprinkled with his own experiences. It proved strangely therapeutic and insightful. She didn't know why they constantly seemed to find themselves confiding in one another but he always just seemed to listen and for being the one who always listened to others it was nice to have someone return the favor.

"Katara!" Sokka's voiced called from down the hall. "Are you going to take all day? My stomach isn't going to wait forever you know!"

Yep, she was definitely going to be dealing with a headache before long.

* * *

Some moments later, Katara emerged from her room and joined her companions in the kitchen. She noticed, much to her chagrin, that a certain prince was missing from their little meeting. Why his presence or absence should suddenly be of note to her, she did not know; with a shake of her head she focused on the moment at hand, taking a seat at the small table next to her brother.

"Okay, we're all here. Aang, you wanted to talk to us?" Sokka wasted no time getting to the point once she arrived.

"Wait, we're not all here, what about Zuko?" She asked.

Aang grimaced. "He went to town to get us some more supplies. I don't know that he'll like what I have to say."

Katara didn't like the idea of keeping secrets from Zuko, but clearly whatever Aang had to say he didn't feel comfortable telling their newest teammate. "It's okay Aang, go on." She encouraged sympathetically.

The young boy hesitated, looking to each of his friends, clearly not comfortable with what he needed to tell them, but he took a deep breath and found the courage. "When Sozin's Comet arrives, I'm not going to fight the Fire Lord."

Shocked silence pervaded throughout the room. Clearly, this had not been at all what any of them had been expecting. It was Sokka who broke the silence first.

"What do you mean you're 'not going to fight the Fire Lord'? What  _are_  you going to do then?" He questioned the younger boy in a disapproving tone.

"I'm not ready, Sokka. When the comet comes he'll be too powerful. I have to master all four elements before I can defeat him and I'm not even close." Aang scrambled to explain. "The play last night made that clear to me."

"Then when will you be ready?" Suki asked no hint of anger or disappointment in her voice.

"I… I don't know, but he can't possibly do more damage than he already has."

Katara pondered Aang's statement. It was true that when the Fire Nation had taken Ba Sing Se they had basically won the war but that couldn't be the end, could it? There still had to be others out there willing to fight, with the exception of maybe the Northern Water Tribe, but Katara knew they wouldn't send any troops to help, rather favoring digging their heals in where they were. Their options were severely limited. There was little they could do until Aang was ready to do what needed to be done.

"Then what would you like to do Aang?" She inquired.

"Stay here, train some more, wait for the comet to pass, and then face the Fire Lord." He stated simply.

Looking around the room she watched as her brother, Suki, and Toph contemplated his plan.

"Well, your earthbending really does need some work still." Toph finally spoke up. "More time wouldn't hurt."

"And I'm sure Zuko will understand. You haven't made it past the basics of firebending yet." Suki added.

Aang nodded sheepishly. "I just need more time."

"Then we're with you Aang, whatever you need to do." Katara assured him, reaching over to place a comforting hand on his. The younger boy smiled gratefully in return, gray eyes eagerly searching the rest of their group in turn for their thoughts. Suki smiled while Toph shrugged, "It's up to you Twinkles."

Sokka remained quietly pensive, but eventually nodded in agreement. "I'm with you buddy."

Aang let out a loud sigh of relief, visibly relaxing now that his friends were on his side. Katara was more than happy to support him, but there was a small niggling voice in the back of her mind that questioned if this was really the right thing to do. Aang knew himself better than anyone, but waiting for him to master the elements might take time they no longer had. Something felt missing but she was not about to let anyone else see her doubts, Aang needed her and her smile remained solidly in place.

"Okay, now that that's over—Katara, how about some grub?" Toph smoothly bulldozed over awkwardness, effectively clearing the tension from the air.

"I second that, how about it Katara?" Sokka enthusiastically agreed.

Katara thought that if her eyes could roll any harder they would roll out of her head. "One of these days I'm going to make you make your own food Sokka."

"Sure sis, whatever you say." He knew an empty threat when he heard one.

* * *

The niggling feeling that Katara had tried to brush away at breakfast only proved to be true by lunch time. It wasn't long before Zuko returned and the day had proceeded as normal, but Zuko had been irritated by their relaxed demeanor and events quickly escalated until Zuko was chasing Aang around the island as a "training" demonstration.

To say they had all underestimated what the Fire Lord had planned was an understatement. Their grim purpose was restored and the tension was once again hanging like a dark cloud. Katara frowned at the food as she prepared the mid-day meal. They had no choice now; it was fight the Fire Lord or nothing. There was no more time, no more ways out.

"So, was anyone going to tell me about Aang's plan to wait?" Zuko's gruff voice nearly had Katara jumping out of her skin.

Turning, she noticed him standing in the doorway, arms crossed and looking less than happy to have been left out of this morning's meeting. Returning to the cutting board in front of her Katara continued to chop the vegetables, ignoring the feeling of Zuko's eyes boring into her back.

"It was his decision Zuko, he knew you wouldn't understand." She blithely retorted.

"Of course I wouldn't understand. Did you all really think waiting was going to make things any better? My father isn't going to stop just because he took Ba Sing Se. None of you know him like I do." He restlessly paced what little open space was available in the kitchen.

With a frustrated sigh, Katara slammed down the knife on the counter and spun around to face the irritated Firebender. "See, this is exactly why he didn't want to tell you. He knew you'd get upset."

"So this is my fault?" He stopped pacing long enough to stop and stare at her in disbelief. "You all make a vital change of plans, leave me out of it, and then expect me to just sit by like everything's okay? I thought I was a part of this team Katara. How are we supposed to work together if you guys can't even trust me?" Bitter anger gave way to hurt in Zuko's tone and he was no longer able to meet her gaze, favoring instead some distant spot on the floor.

Katara felt her defensiveness wither away in seconds, replaced instead by pangs of guilt. It had felt wrong to leave him out of their discussion this morning but she had let herself believe it was for the best, now she was sure she had been wrong. They had all been.

"Zuko," she reached out a hand to attempt to reassure him, but hesitated as he shrugged away. "We made a mistake, and I think we all know that now. Aang was afraid to tell you, but we should have realized that you would have more insight to your father's plans."

Reluctantly, Zuko's eyes finally met her own, searching them for their sincerity. Katara felt foolish. How long had he been a part of their team now? He had done nothing but prove himself again and again but had they proven themselves to him? This time Katara reached out and placed a hand on his arm in a comforting gesture.

"If it makes a difference, I am sorry. I can't speak for the others, though I'm sure they'd be sorry as well, but next time we won't leave you out like that."

"Promise?" He asked with a small smile and for a moment he seemed more like a boy Aang's age than one older than Sokka.

"I promise." Katara smiled confidently.

* * *

That night, as they all slept, Aang disappeared into the night. Katara spent the day with Suki searching for him, a mixture of worry and frustration. They had fought the night before and if history was anything to go by it was most likely that he had taken off in a huff, but it was unusual for him to leave behind his staff. Katara wasn't sure what to think but all that mattered was that they find him and fast. Time was running out.

Zuko managed to step up and take charge, the only one, as she had so appreciably pointed out, with experience in hunting Aang to reaches unknown. As night descended upon them, they found themselves in the Earth Kingdom seeking help from June and her shirshu, Nylah. Katara tried not to lose hope when June proclaimed that Aang was nowhere to be found. Not dead, not alive, just nowhere. It was disconcerting to say the least that the one animal who could track a person's scent no matter where they were hiding couldn't find Aang.

They spent the rest of the night and the next day following June all the way to Ba Sing Se in the hopes of instead finding Zuko's uncle, so that he might give them some guidance. Katara, Appa, Toph, and Sokka had Azula to thank for their endurance. One sleepless night was nothing compared to the countless nights they spent running from Azula and her freaky friends only months earlier. There was little talking amongst their group, and there was no time for stopping. By nightfall they had made it to the outer wall of Ba Sing Se in record time. Katara wasn't sure how Appa had kept up pace as long as he had but if she could guess she would bet their furry companion was just as concerned for Aang as they all were.

The small band of teenagers was too exhausted to set up camp once they finally had a chance to stop. It was all they could do just to set up a fire, make a simple meal of rice and pickles—the only food they had managed to pack in a hurry—and eat before they all settled on Appa for some much needed sleep.

Despite being completely exhausted Katara had a hard time falling asleep. Suki and Sokka snuggled together on Appa's tail while she and Zuko had each taken a spare leg; Toph already snored in her earthen tent.

"Zuko, you awake?" She whispered to his back.

"I am now." He grumbled in reply.

"Sorry, I was just… do you think Aang's okay?"

"I'm sure he's fine."

Katara worried her lower lip. "You don't think it's my fault he left do you?"

That had Zuko rolling over to face her. "Why would you think it's your fault?"

"Because I yelled at him, I never yell at him, and I was so mean to him." She felt horribly ashamed for her actions the night before. Aang was only trying to prove a point and none of them had given him a chance.

"You can't blame yourself Katara, for all we know he's run off to think things through. I'm sure he's fine. We're going to find him."

"Do you think your uncle can help us?"

Zuko seemed to wince and a shadow passed over his features that was noticeable even in the dim light of the moon. "I hope so, if he'll even see me."

"Why wouldn't he see you?" Katara asked, propping her head up on her hand.

"I betrayed him. Back in Ba Sing Se." His answer was quiet and laced with shame. "And when we returned to the Fire Nation, I said some pretty horrible things to him. I never got to say I was sorry before he broke out of prison."

"He's your uncle right? From what Toph says, he really cares about you. Surely he'll forgive you if you just explain?"

"My family doesn't exactly have a history of being the forgiving type. I let him down Katara, how could he possibly forgive me?" Zuko asked incredulously, rolling over on his back to stare up at the night sky. Possibly reuniting with his uncle was clearly weighing heavily on his conscience.

"Tell me about him?" She slightly changed the subject, in an effort to distract the young prince. "Toph and Aang have both talked quite highly of him, but I've hardly spoken with him. Apparently he gives good advice."

"And tea." Zuko added with a crooked smile.

Katara giggled softly. "Toph mentioned that as well."

"There was one time," Zuko began, turning on his side to face her, "just after Azula started pursuing us, we were foraging in the woods and my uncle thought he had found a bush called the white dragon bush. Its leaves are supposed to make a tea 'so delicious, it's heartbreaking'." Katara beamed when Zuko attempted to imitate his uncle's voice. "Turns out it was actually the white jade bush, which is poisonous. I went fishing and came back to find him all red, puffy, and itching all over."

"He actually made  _tea_  out of it? Did he know it was poisonous?" Katara asked.

"He wasn't certain. I told him to leave it alone but uncle loves his tea. The rash had a chance of killing him if it spread and he thought he had found berries that would cure him, but they also could've been berries that would've blinded him. I was so mad at him for that." Zuko recounted with a reminiscent chuckle.

Katara stifled her laughter with her hand. "Sounds like traveling with him was always entertaining."

Zuko smiled ruefully. "At the time I was too angry to appreciate it, but it was. I  _hated_  his music nights on the ship, but I would trade anything to have them back again."

"Music nights?"

"Ugh, yes! He and a few members of the crew would gather one night a week on the deck to play music. My uncle is very fond of the tsungi horn. He made me learn how to play it too."

Katara raised an eyebrow in interest. "You? You play an instrument?"

"That so hard to believe?"

"I guess not, I just can't picture it. You were always so grumpy back then." She teased.

"Yeah, well, I thought I had a lot of reasons to be." He said with a frown.

An awkward, brooding silence settled between them and Katara felt ashamed for inadvertently reminding him of who he used to be. She was trying to make him feel better, not worse.

"So did your uncle get better?" Katara asked, bringing him back to a happier topic.

She was relieved when he smiled again. "He did. We had to go to a local village healer for help, but he got better."

"That's good. Maybe when all this is over we can try to find him one of those bushes that makes the delicious tea. I'm sure that would make him happy."

Her suggestion was simple enough but the surprise on Zuko's face made Katara flush when she realized what she could have unintentionally implied.

"Aang, Toph, and the others could come too. I know they'd all love to help." She added, suddenly taking extreme interest at something in Appa's fur.

"Um, yeah, that would be nice I think. Uncle would like that." Zuko replied, scratching his cheek awkwardly.

Katara didn't know when they both finally fell asleep. They spent another hour or so talking, well she mostly listened, as Zuko told her all about his uncle. When sleep finally claimed them, Katara's last train of thought had been how fortunate Zuko was to have such a caring, if not eccentric, uncle. She was certain, even if she did not know the man personally, that he would forgive Zuko no matter the transgression.

* * *

The smell of flames and Appa's alarmed groans shot Zuko awake some hours later. He could feel the beginnings of the sun rising in the distance but all his instincts were on the defensive as he took in the scene around them.

"What's going on?" Suki's panic-stricken voice was the first to speak.

"I'm not sure, but we've got company." Toph tersely answered.

"And we're completely trapped by the fire." Zuko added grimly. An ambush was the last thing he had thought to expect this far from the city. He should've known better.

"Wait, look!" Katara pointed and they all turned to the rubble of the outer wall to see four figures standing on the rocks. Each one wearing a navy robe and white collar that Zuko thought should seem familiar but struggled to find a familiar face among any of the older men the stared down at them shrewdly.

"Well, look who's here." The craziest-looking of the four leered and began to laugh and snort in the strangest manner Zuko had ever heard.

"Bumi!" Sokka and Katara cheered simultaneously and Zuko was puzzled by their joyous reactions. Apparently  _they_  recognized someone.

"What's going on? We're surrounded by old people!" Toph threw her hands up in frustrated confusion.

"Not just any old people," Katara explained. "These are great masters and friends of ours." She bowed graciously to the first man with long hair. "Pakku."

The older man bowed in return. "It is respectful to bow to an old master, but how about a hug for your new grandfather?" The man called Pakku grinned, opening his arms to her.

Katara blinked in shock as she absorbed the news, it only took her seconds to recover as her surprise turned to joy. "That's so exciting!" She exclaimed, leaping forward to embrace the older man, while Sokka cried out in disbelief behind her. "You and Gran-Gran must be so happy to have found each other again."

Pulling back, Pakku took Katara's hands in his own, happily filling her in on the good news. "I made her a new betrothal necklace and everything."

Sokka, finally over his own shock, strode forward and hugged Pakku by his neck. "Welcome to the family Gramp-Gramp!" He declared.

"You can still just call me Pakku." The elder man said with an unamused frown, pushing Sokka off him.

"How about Grand Pakku?" He asked with a goofy grin.

"No." Pakku deadpanned.

Sokka frowned, disappointed. Zuko watched the whole exchange with a peculiar interest, Sokka and Katara had an unusual family. Obviously ignoring her brother, Katara moved on to introduce the man next to Pakku, motioning to Zuko to join her. Stepping forward Zuko thought the man with bushy hair seemed familiar but couldn't place it.

"And this was Aang's first Firebending teacher."

Zuko had heard about Aang attempting to learn Firebending before, but nothing about having a teacher. The man bowed to him introducing himself. "Jeong Jeong."

The deserter, that's why the man seemed familiar; Zuko had seen his likeness on the wanted posters next to the Avatar's early in his journeys but never paid them much heed. "It's an honor." Zuko greeted, bowing politely in return.

Sokka had moved down the line to greet the only non-white haired man, bowing respectfully. "Master Piandao."

"Hello Sokka." The famous sword master greeted him congenially.

"So wait, how do you all know each other?" Suki inquired, still confused by this odd reunion.

The crazy-looking man named Bumi smirked at her. "All old people know each other, don't you know that?" Erupting once more with the snorting laughter from earlier at his own witty remark.

"We're all part of the same ancient secret society, a group that transcends the divisions of the four nations." Piandao elucidated.

Then it clicked for Zuko. He knew the design on their collars looked familiar and all this time he thought his uncle was just making up the mess about a secret society, a fond smile erupted and he voiced his epiphany. "The Order of the White Lotus."

"That's the one!" Bumi confirmed.

"The White Lotus has always been about philosophy, and beauty and truth. About a month ago, a call went out that we were needed for something important." Jeong Jeong added in further detail.

"It came from a Grand Lotus, your uncle, Iroh of the Fire Nation." Pakku confirmed Zuko's suspicions.

Katara looked at him in surprise and Zuko found himself smiling again. He knew his uncle was far from helpless, but knowing that he was out there trying to do what they were doing as well gave him a strong sense of pride. The old man really was more than just some tea-loving old cook. Zuko felt truly ashamed for ever having doubted him.

"Well that's who we're looking for!" Toph chimed in.

"Then we'll take you to him." Piandao offered.

Suddenly pushing Piandao and Jeong Jeong aside, Bumi interrupted. "Wait, someone's missing from your group." He eyed their small group warily, "Someone very important. Where's Momo?" He demanded, pushing his face right up against Sokka's, forcing the teen to lean back uncomfortably.

"He's gone." Sokka answered awkwardly. "And so is Aang."

Taking a step back Bumi shrugged and smiled. "Oh well, so long as they have each other I'm sure we have nothing to worry about. Let's go!" Patting Sokka on the chest and nearly knocking the boy over, Bumi wasted no time in bending himself back over the wall, laughing maniacally.

Zuko blinked, completely befuddled. Bumi was officially the  _strangest_  person he had ever met.

* * *

The trek to the camp wasn't a long one, but it definitely felt much longer thanks to the knot in Zuko's stomach. He knew he shouldn't be this anxious, but the uncertainty of what a reunion with his uncle would be like had his mind racing. He barely heard the conversations around him, everyone engrossed in catching up with their older companions.

"Well, here we are. Welcome to old people camp!" Bumi's declaration breaking Zuko out of the nervous fog he was in.

Tents were scattered and Zuko looked at each of them, unsure of which one could possibly belong to his uncle. "Where… where is he?"

Piandao stopped, noticing his confusion and pointed to the centermost tent at the end of the camp site. "Your uncle is in there, Prince Zuko."

Taking a deep breath, Zuko squared his shoulders gathering his courage as he approached the tent. As he stared at the lotus emblem on the flap Zuko hesitated. All the horrible things he had said to his uncle during his captivity came rushing back. He had been so ungrateful. His uncle had merely tried to show him the right path and Zuko threw it all back in his face. The disappointed look in Iroh's face at his betrayal in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se still haunted his dreams. What if his uncle wouldn't forgive him? What would he do? There was no way his uncle could still care for him after all the spiteful things he had said.

Dropping to the ground, Zuko sat outside the tent and contemplated his situation. It wasn't long before soft footfalls approached behind him and the blue of Katara's dress was there in Zuko's periphery.

"Are you okay?" She asked with concern.

"No, I'm not okay." He confirmed. "My uncle hates me, I know it. He loved me and supported me in every way he could and I still turned against him. How can I even face him?"

Katara lowered herself beside him. "Zuko, you're sorry for what you did, right?"

"More sorry than I've been about anything in my entire life."

A knowing smile crossed Katara's features, raising her shoulders in a shrug. "Then he'll forgive you. He will."

Zuko looked at her and blue eyes shining as she continued to smile at him with gentle encouragement. Turning to look back at the tent Zuko allowed her affirmations wash over him. She had forgiven him in the end, hadn't she? And she had less reason to ever believe in him than his uncle. While his own confidence was lacking, Katara's unwavering faith in a positive outcome gave Zuko renewed hope. Straightening confidently Zuko pushed himself to his feet and walked to the entrance of the tent. Taking one last deep breath he pushed back the flap and entered.

"Uncle." He closed his eyes, bracing for a scolding, but when a loud snore was all that greeted him Zuko opened his eyes to find his uncle sleeping soundly.

It would be just like his uncle to be asleep at a time like this Zuko thought with a doting smile. The old man could sleep through anything. With a reserved sigh, Zuko further entered the small enclosure and made himself comfortable on the floor. The sun would rise soon and, like most Firebenders, Zuko knew his uncle would awaken when the time came, so for now all he could do was wait patiently for the man who was most like a father to him to wake up.

* * *

Katara sat outside Iroh's tent, staring earnestly at the flap. She thought it would probably be best if she tried to go and get some rest with the remaining hours of the early morning left, but she couldn't bring herself to move from that spot.

Zuko had seemed so anxious about reuniting with his uncle, and it was understandable. Nothing felt worse than knowing you disappointed someone you loved, and for Zuko, it was even harder because his uncle was the only family he had that genuinely cared for him.

So there she sat, unmoving from the spot where she had joined Zuko before he disappeared into the tent. Concern began to tingle unbidden along her senses. She wouldn't admit it aloud but she was worried for him. He had been so nervous and afraid; Katara hadn't seen Zuko like that before. She was sure that everything would work out, but between Aang's disappearance and the comet coming in a matter of hours it was a lot to ride on faith alone, even for her.

Internally she prayed that everything would work out; that Zuko's uncle would forgive him, that they would find Aang and that he would find the courage to face the Fire Lord, and that they would all come out of this alive. There was a lot to be uneasy about, because there was so much at stake, and no one seemed to understand better than they did just how much they stood to lose in all of this.

Katara pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. Their moment of truth was swiftly approaching and Katara struggled not to let every dreadful thought overtake her. She felt her eyelids droop as she decided it was okay to take a short nap while she waited.

She drifted peacefully into unconsciousness for an indeterminate amount of time; until she felt a warm hand gently nudge her awake. Blinking, she rubbed her eyes, to see Zuko crouched in front of her.

"Hey, you weren't waiting this whole time were you?" He asked her softly.

Katara's eyes focused as she looked up and studied his face. His eyes were tinged with red, and she wondered absently if he had been crying, but a brightness in their golden depths told her that something had changed.

"I wanted to wait, I was worried." She admitted with a blush.

He smiled lopsidedly at her, and she was surprised to see how genuinely happy he seemed. This wasn't the same anxious, brooding boy who had left her a short time before.

"Did everything go all right with your uncle?" She asked eagerly.

"Yes, he has forgiven me. Just like you said he would." He told her with a beaming smile.

Katara was astonished, Zuko rarely smiled at all, and when he did it was often small or the act never quite reached his eyes, but this was different. This time the smile was as genuine as she had ever seen it, and his eyes shone even in the dim light of the early morning. Katara decided she liked it when Zuko smiled. It made her smile as well.

"Nephew, you should invite your young lady friend in for some tea." Iroh beckoned, sticking his head out from the flap, "It's not polite to leave her sitting there on the cold, hard ground."

"Yes, Uncle." Zuko answered back, with only a mild note of annoyance in his tone. Clearly, he was too happy to have his uncle's forgiveness to care about being scolded.

"Come on," he said, as he grabbed her hands and helped her to her feet, "my uncle makes the best tea."

* * *

Pleasant moments drinking tea could only last so long before real world concerns had to take precedence. After the best cup of tea Katara had ever had, she, Zuko and his uncle, rejoined the others for breakfast. They spent the meal discussing their next move. Losing Aang had really left them without a sense of direction so it was a relief to have a society like the White Lotus behind them. While they had managed well thus far, having more experienced masters on their side made Katara feel more confident that they might actually make it through this.

As they made their plans, it was decided that Sokka, Suki, and Toph would go stop the airship fleet, while Iroh and the White Lotus would take back Ba Sing Se. Zuko, meanwhile, would return to his country to face his sister for the crown. Much to Katara's surprise, Zuko turned to her and asked if she would help him knock Azula down a peg, and she accepted without hesitation. It made her swell with pride that he trusted her to undertake this with him.

Once again, time seemed to pass too quickly. Throwing her pack up into Appa's saddle, Katara turned to see her brother watching her with a guarded look.

"Be careful with Azula." He told her and she smiled at his concern.

"I will. You be careful too."

Stepping toward him she threw her arms around his neck and hugged Sokka tightly. He hugged her back fiercely. Katara didn't like being separated from her brother, but she knew it would only be temporary. They  _would_  see each other again. Sokka pulled away and turned on his heel to tend to the eel-hound Piandao was preparing.

Suki came up behind Sokka and put a hand on Katara's shoulder. "He's right, you know. Azula is a lot more dangerous than she looks. Please be careful."

Katara glanced at her brother's girlfriend, a hollow look on Suki's face, and felt for the girl. She knew that Suki still woke up with nightmares from her time in captivity but Katara had never heard the details. It made her shudder to think what might have happened.

"Take care of him for me?" She requested of Suki.

"You don't even have to ask." The red-head said with a warm smile and the two girls shared a brief hug. Suki left to join Sokka and Katara turned back to Appa to find Toph grudgingly saying good-bye to Zuko.

"Be sure to give your sister my best. I still owe her some pay back from the eclipse." She told him, punching her fist into her open palm.

"She won't know what hit her." Zuko assured the blind girl.

Toph grinned, but then her smile faded as she awkwardly shuffled, seemingly unsure of herself. Suddenly, almost like lightning, Toph shot forward and hugged Zuko around his middle. "You better come back."

Katara's jaw dropped, Toph never hugged anyone! Zuko was just as dumb-founded, standing there staring down at the brunette in disbelief, but before could return the gesture Toph retreated, cheeks flaring red as she quickly walked away.

"Same to you Sugar Queen!" She called over her shoulder.

"Did that… just happen?" Zuko asked out loud.

"Congratulations, that's a first."

Shaking his head, Zuko broke himself from his stupor; a faint blush tinged his features. Tossing his own pack up into the saddle, he gave her a hand climbing up on Appa's back. Once their remaining good-byes were said, the teens headed off in their respective directions, each silently praying that it wouldn't be long before they saw each other again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks, as always, are in order for my friend Jazzpha. Without him I wouldn't have the confidence to keep this up. There are so many brilliant writers out there (him among them) and I know that what I do isn't nearly as amazing, but he makes me feel like I have talent and that's a lot for someone like me. Thank you Jazz! You're a fantastic friend :)


	4. A Hand to Hold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters. I just like playing with their lives and bending them to my imagination. All ownership goes to Bryke and Nickelodeon.
> 
> A/N: I think this might be a record. Just at three weeks for an update—I have been consumed with getting this finished so it’s not left sitting around for years. Not much else to say other than thanks as always to my ever patient beta, Jazzpha, who has been my wonderful mentor throughout writing this story. My writing wouldn’t be anything worth showing without him.
> 
> Please read and enjoy! Reviews are lovely but not necessary—I’ll have the next and final chapter up as soon as I can!

**Crippled Anger**

_**Chapter 4 – A Hand to Hold** _

" _No person was ever rightly understood until they had been first regarded with a certain feeling, not of tolerance, but of sympathy."_

-Thomas Carlyle

* * *

Sozin's Comet blazed through the sky, dyeing the horizon in shades of red and orange, as if the whole world was already on fire. It was the perfect setting for a battle for the end of the world Katara mused as she and Zuko journeyed to the Fire Nation capital. She had decided that the comet could almost be a beautiful sight if it wasn't the harbinger of doom that her and her friends had been dreading for so long.  _One way or another, this all ends today._

Katara sat back in Appa's saddle, a grim look on her face, and her stomach in knots. Red had never been one of her favorite colors, but wearing Fire Nation clothing for several weeks had given her a new appreciation for it. Now, however, Katara found herself once more unsettled by the color as it covered the sky and turned the clouds into dark angry streaks. Shifting towards the front of the saddle she studied Zuko's back as he guided Appa to the royal palace, and she wondered what must be going through his mind.

"Hey," she called to him over the sound of the wind, "scoot over."

"What for?"

"Please?"

Zuko sighed in exasperation but did as he was told, scooting over just enough to allow Katara to slide carefully down from the saddle and sit next to him on Appa's head.

"What is it?" He prodded her when she didn't say anything right away.

"Nothing, I just figured you could use the company." She shrugged, and it wasn't entirely a lie.

When he didn't respond she looked at him, studying his face. Gone was the joyful boy from earlier replaced with his old brooding mask and it left her feeling even more unsettled. "Zuko, don't worry, we can take Azula."

He scoffed, "I'm not worried about her, I'm worried about Aang. What if he doesn't have the guts to take out my father? What if he loses?"

The dour expression on her face only deepened, Katara had her own voices of doubt in her head, but she refused to give in to them. "Aang won't lose. He's going to come back—he has to." She replied with a fierceness that surprised even her, uncertain if she was trying more to convince Zuko or herself.

Their eyes met and Katara could feel him scrutinizing her, eyes-narrowed skeptically. "Zuko, we're his teachers, if we don't believe in him, then what was the point? You've trained him well, and he's going to pull through this—we all are." She nudged him gently with her shoulder.

Sighing heavily, Zuko rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand. "I know, I know, I have to have faith, but it's so hard. I just hope Aang has the strength to stand up to him, the strength that I never had." He finished with a hesitance that didn't go unnoticed.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked; brow furrowed with confusion.

Zuko's mouth pressed into a firm line, staring out at the clouds. He seemed to be fighting with himself about something, and it left Katara with a nagging sense of dread. At last he turned to look at her, his golden eyes searching hers again, as if he had some great secret he needed to tell. Turning his face back towards the open sky, he began speaking, but his voice was strained.

"When I was about Aang's age, my uncle let me to attend my first war council, even though I actually wasn't allowed. He made me promise to keep my mouth shut, but I didn't listen. I spoke out against the plan of one of the generals at the meeting. My outburst was seen as a great insult, and my father demanded that I participate in an Agni Kai for disrespecting his general."

Reluctant to interrupt, but puzzled, Katara asked, "What is an Agni Kai?"

"A duel between Firebenders; often fought to the death."

"But that's—how could your own father demand that of you? You were only a child!" Katara was trying in vain to wrap her mind around the kind of person that would do something so unspeakable.

Zuko's scowl only deepened as he explained. "I participated thinking that I would be facing the general whose plan I had spoken out against, but when I turned around, it wasn't the general—it was my father." Katara couldn't help the small gasp that escaped, but Zuko continued. "I begged and pleaded with him to forgive me, but he insisted I fight. He told me that I would learn respect and that suffering would be my teacher.

"That was when he gave me this." Zuko's voice was hoarse with emotion as he angled his face toward her, motioning to his scarred eye. "After that, he banished me, saying that I showed weakness by refusing to fight. I wasn't allowed to return home until I had the Avatar; then—and only then—could I return home with my honor."

The gravity of his tale left Katara speechless. Suddenly it all made sense: His desperate need to regain his honor, his single-minded determination to capture Aang at any cost, and most of all, why the lure to return home had been too great for him to ignore. Despite her differences with her own father Katara never doubted his love for her, even if they argued she knew that she would always be safe with him, that he would always be there for her. It was impossible for her to begin to imagine what Zuko's childhood must have been like, growing up with such a monster for a parent.

Zuko was silent beside her, jaw set and scowling at the open sky. He was noticeably avoiding her gaze, as if to overlook the significance of what he had just confessed to her, but she noticed how his hand gripped the reins tightly enough that his knuckles were white. Katara felt so terribly sad for him that it made her want to cry but she quashed the urge. He wouldn't want her pity, he deserved more than that.

Wordlessly, Katara turned and wrapped her arms around his middle resting her cheek against his shoulder. She felt him stiffen at the unfamiliar contact but he didn't push her away. There were no words to do justice to the burden he was evidently still carrying, and Katara wasn't about to insult him by trying to find any. Instead, she just hugged him in silence hoping that would be enough for him to understand; after a moment or two Zuko finally relaxed in her embrace.

"Can I ask you something?" She inquired softly after a lingering moment and felt him nod. "What was the plan that you spoke out against?"

Zuko's tone was somber as he replied. "They were going to sacrifice an entire division of new recruits as a battle tactic to distract the enemy; innocent Fire Nation soldiers who were only doing their duty. I was horrified that they would even consider something like that, so I protested."

It was impossible to contemplate. Katara had always imagined the Fire Lord as a horrible person, but the truth of it was enough to suck the breath from her lungs. No wonder his own son had the troubles he did. "Your father had it all wrong, Zuko."

She could feel the weight of his stare when she said this and Katara pulled away to look him in the eyes. "I'm being serious. It took a lot of courage for you to speak out like you did, and I think that makes you a hundred times more honorable than your father will  _ever_  be."

Katara watched as the pained look on Zuko's face shifted to one of uncertain shock, and she believed she had some idea what telling all this to her meant for him. It was the Crystal Caves all over again, but this was different, now they were allies—friends even—if she was honest.

Reaching toward him she placed her hand on his scar for the second time, her fingertips resting against the pink and puckered skin. His eyes closed at her touch and, much like that first time, Katara found herself overwhelmed. Originally she had thought his scar was the result of a training accident, but now she knew better, and the truth behind this mark on his young face was so much worse than she could have ever believed. It made her heart cry for him, not out of pity, but with the infinite sadness that comes from carrying such a heavy burden. It made her reflect upon a much deeper conflict within herself.

"You know, I used to have so many dreams about what could have happened if I had healed your scar back in Ba Sing Se. I felt so guilty for so long after that day, wondering if I had been able to heal it, if you would have come with us. That, maybe, if I'd been just a little nicer or more insistent you wouldn't have gone with your sister."

Katara hadn't admitted these thoughts to anyone aside from her father, and she swallowed the horrible lump they created in her throat. Those dreams had plagued her for weeks. Even after Aang had finally awoken, and she realized that not all hope was lost. The guilt had quickly turned to anger and while she had been angry at Zuko, most of all, she had been angry at herself for believing him. What if she had used the Spirit Water to heal his scar? What if he still betrayed them? Those thoughts made the nightmares even worse.

"Katara…" Zuko spoke as he placed a hand over hers, amber eyes opening to stare at her piteously, "it wouldn't have made a difference."

Katara reeled back as if she had been slapped, pulling her hand away confused. "What do you mean?"

"Just, listen, okay?" He pleaded sensing that he had upset her. "I'm not proud of this but I need you to understand."

She peered at him quizzically for a few heartbeats before nodding for him to continue, "Go on."

Zuko took a deep breath and began to explain, "I know that I told you I had changed—and I really had. I've never told you what it meant to me that you offered to heal my scar, but despite all that, despite all the advice of my uncle, I had to go back. I had to believe that all I'd endured wasn't meaningless."

"And, when you finally returned was it everything you wanted?" She asked trying hard to understand.

"At first it was everything I ever dreamed, I was the perfect prince just like my father always wanted," his lips twisted into a disheartened frown as he looked away from her, "but it didn't feel right. I thought I finally had everything I wanted, but it was a lie. I should have known, but I had to find out for myself. When I confronted my father during the eclipse I realized that he never loved me, nor would he ever be able to, no matter how hard I tried to prove myself to him."

The hopelessly despondent look on Zuko's face made Katara's heart wrench. Scarred and rejected, yet Zuko had still deeply desired his father's approval and love. No one deserved that, especially not from their family.

"I know that I was wrong by betraying you, betraying my uncle, and believing in Azula, but if I hadn't gone back I never would have realized just how much I had changed. I would've still had my doubts. I had to believe that everything I'd done meant something, but it didn't. Not to my father."

Katara squeezed Zuko's hand giving him a soft understanding smile when he dared to look at her again. "Your uncle certainly thinks the world of you though." She told him in an effort to be comforting.

"Yes, he told me he was proud of me. Even after everything I've done. He's been more of a father to me than my real father."

"You've come a long way."

Zuko shook his head. "I still have further to go. I know that I deserve your anger and mistrust after all that I've done, but I hope, after this, you'll see that I'm on your side."

"I know you are." Katara assured him with a gentle smile, giving his hand another squeeze.

Zuko graced her with one of his small appreciative smiles and it made her heart swell.

"I should get back in the saddle; Appa is probably getting uncomfortable with both of us on here." She said, letting go of his hand. Appa groaned in agreement making them both chuckle.

"Sorry Appa." Katara patted the sky bison's head, turning to carefully climb back into the saddle on his back.

"It won't be for long, we're nearing the Fire Nation, look." Zuko pointed off into the distance where she could see the rocky mass of the Fire Nation islands quickly appearing on the horizon.

"We are going to win this. I know we are." Katara affirmed, but Zuko remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. She tried not to let his silence discourage her; she could have enough faith for the two of them if necessary.

"Thank you, by the way."

This got his attention and Zuko turned to look at her over his shoulder, "What for?"

"For confiding in me, about your father, and about your scar—I'm glad you told me." Katara admitted with all sincerity.

Blinking in surprise, Zuko flushed before he turned to face forward again, "It-it was nothing."

Katara smiled at his back. They were going to get through this. All of them, she just knew it. They were flying over the Great Gates of Azulon now and it would only be a matter of hours before they faced Azula. There was no way to know what was going to happen, but the optimist within her staunchly refused to believe that they would lose this time.

* * *

The rest of their journey progressed in an increasingly tense silence as the minutes passed by, each one bringing them closer and closer to the Fire Nation capital, and Azula. Leaning over the edge of the saddle Katara gazed down at the various islands that made up the Fire Nation archipelago as they flew by. Their moment of truth was nearing and despite her earlier resolve that everything would be all right, she was frightened. It didn't matter how many battles she had faced up until this moment, her nerves were always hard to contend with, and she was worried about the others—especially Aang.

_Please…_  she begged the spirits.  _Please give him the strength to do what needs to be done to end this war._

"We're here." Zuko's grave voice broke through her silent prayers as they passed over the outermost rocky edges of the caldera.

The city truly was an incredible sight from above and Katara stared down in quiet awe at the rich houses that surrounded the Fire Nation royal palace. She had never really gotten a good look at the city when they had been here on the day of Black Sun and she thought that she might actually find the city beautiful if it wasn't for the fact that it was the pinnacle of all her nightmares. Much like her previous visit, however, the streets were barren and very few signs of life existed in what she presumed was a normally bustling city. She could feel the shift in their altitude as Zuko guided Appa into his descent as they approached the walls that surrounded the palace.

"Zuko, look!" Katara pointed away from the palace and past the adjoining lake to the Fire Sages' temple which resided at its edge. There, in the middle of a large open plaza, they both spied Azula and several Fire Sages at the top of a grand staircase.

"She's being crowned as the Fire Lord." Zuko's stated grimly. "It's time to settle this."

With a large groan Appa landed right at the base of the steps just as the lead Fire Sage was preparing to crown Azula.

"Sorry, but you're not going to become Fire Lord today." Katara watched as Zuko stood and leapt down from Appa's head. "I am."

Azula's laughter was spine-chilling as she eyed her brother. "You're hilarious."

"And you're going down." Katara thanked whatever spirits were on her side that her voice sounded more threatening than she felt as she joined Zuko at his side.

The Fire Sage that held the crown moved to continue to crown Azula but the young girl dismissed him with a wave, her dark gold eyes hardening. "Wait. You want to be Fire Lord?" She sneered as if the idea was completely laughable. "Fine, let's settle this, just you and me, brother—the showdown that was always meant to be—Agni Kai!"

"You're on." Zuko accepted her challenge without hesitation.

Katara's head whipped around to stare at Zuko in shock. They were supposed to do this together.

"What are you doing?! " She hissed. "She's  _playing_  you. She knows she can't take us both so she's trying to separate us!"

"I know, but I can take her this time."

Katara tried to stifle the urge to shake him, "But even you admitted to your uncle that you would need help facing Azula."

"There's something off about her. I can't explain it, but she's slipping." Zuko finally turned to face her, gaze softening for just an instant, "And this way, no one else has to get hurt."

Katara felt her heart jump into her throat as her eyes flickered between Zuko and his sister. The whole reason she had come here in the first place was to help him fight Azula and now she was being forced to the sidelines. It made the warrior within her seethe but this was Zuko's fight and Katara was determined to let him lead. She cast another glance at his sister. There was indeed something off about the princess and it wasn't just in her abnormally sloppy appearance. Azula's eyes held a sinister desperation in them that they had never had before and it made Katara nervous.

_I really hope he's right about this_ , she thought. Katara swallowed hard and looked at Zuko nodding reluctantly in assent.

He seemed to sigh with relief but Katara reached out and grabbed his arm before he could turn away from her and their eyes locked for a hardened moment.

"I'll stand down for now, but if I think for one second that she has the upper hand I am in this. Got it?"

Zuko nodded. "Go, take care of Appa."

Katara grudgingly released his arm as she turned to the bison and mounted him, flying just high enough into the air to find a decently large patch of land where he could be safe from the duel. It didn't take her long to find a large open garden area not far from the temple where she sat Appa down and slipped off.

"You'll be safe here. I'll come back for you, I promise." She swore solemnly as she nuzzled the side of his furry face before running back to the plaza where Zuko and Azula were.

Running as fast as her feet could carry her Katara pushed through the unfamiliar paths not stopping to look around as everything passed her in a whirl of red, beige, and gold. Her heart was pounding and all she could think about was Zuko. What the hell was he thinking taking on his sister alone? Why the heck did he ask her to come along if he was just going to do this by himself?

"I swear if that stubborn idiot gets another scar I am  _NOT_  healing it!" She shouted to no one but herself.

* * *

Zuko eyed his sister warily across the plaza. Whatever plan he had had for this moment—this had not been it, but the moment he jumped down from Appa and saw the state Azula was in he knew that this time he might actually be able to face her on his own. Ever since she had been born she had been the prodigy, the talented Firebender that Zuko never was, but something was causing her to unravel. Was it his father or maybe Mai and Ty Lee's betrayal? He had no way of knowing but she wasn't her usual controlled self.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way,  _brother_." Azula slurred challengingly as she languidly slipped her mantle from her shoulders.

"No you're not." Zuko's voice was flat and emotionless.  _Azula always lies._

In the blink of an eye Azula fired her first volley of blue flames and the duel was under way. When Zuko moved to defend, circling his arms to blast a stream of golden fire, the flames collided, erupting in an enormous plume that shot hundreds of feet into the air and across the plaza. Orange and blue flames danced and slammed into one another with more power than Zuko had ever seen. He could feel the comet's power surging through him and it took all his self-control to keep from losing himself to that power.

Azula jumped and spun pummeling Zuko with one burst of fire after another but he never backed down. Out of his periphery he could see flashes of blue darting behind the pillars as Katara sought shelter from the powerful flames and he hoped that she would keep herself safe. One such powerful volley from Zuko caught the main temple building behind Azula and she glared at her him with pure loathing in return. She charged, flipping and kicking a large whip of blue fire which Zuko dissipated with seemingly little effort. Azula was clearly moving and fighting differently today, her standard calm and calculated fighting style was replaced by scattered, sloppy moves that were fueled by pure emotion.  _I have to break her root._

Unrelenting, Azula charged, circling trying to surround him and throw him off his guard, firing more torrents of fire which Zuko blocked consistently with his own return hits. Crouching to the ground Zuko used his arms as a fulcrum to spin his legs around shooting a huge circle of fire from his feet. Azula couldn't block quickly enough and she was hit, slamming into the ground with surprising force. Zuko winced as his sister rolled and slid to a stop, shakily pushing herself back onto her feet.

This had to end soon, Azula was obviously tiring, but when the princess lifted her head, her mouth was twisted in a snarl, and it was clear she wasn't about to let this end easily. Zuko's body hummed with energy. His sister had always had the upper hand on him and it had always taken all his effort to keep up with her. Today however he was finally just as powerful, if not more powerful, than she was. It was an intoxicating feeling.

"No lightning today? What's the matter? Afraid I'll redirect it?" Zuko taunted his sister challengingly.

"Oh I'll show you lightning!" She snarled.

Zuko inhaled deeply and prepared himself. This is what his uncle had been training him for. On the day of Black Sun he had managed to redirect lightning his father had fired at him and Zuko had all the confidence he could do it again. The air sizzled and crackled with energy as Azula circled her arms, lightning bolts forming around her. The moment hung tense and still for an instant as Azula prepared to take aim. Zuko watched and waited… and then something changed. Azula's eyes flicked to his right and Zuko suddenly realized to his horror that he wasn't alone.

In a heartbeat Azula shifted her stance and fired, shooting the blue bolts at Katara behind him. He hadn't noticed when she had run up behind him but it was too late to worry about that now. Pushing his body into action he ran towards the lightning. There wasn't enough time for Katara to move to avoid them. She was going to die if those bolts hit her, he couldn't let that happen. He urged his body to move faster.

" _NO!_ " Zuko shouted and time seemed to slow. The bolts crept closer and closer as precious seconds ticked away.  _I have to get to her!_  His mind screamed. Katara remained frozen in place, eyes transfixed on the rapidly approaching bolts. Desperate, Zuko pushed off the ground and leapt the remaining distance with his arm outstretched to catch the lightning before it could hit its target. With an alarming jolt he took the full brunt of the blast and his whole body was surrounded by lightning. It burned and tingled, making his nerves sing in pain. His heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.  _Let it go_  he told himself,  _just let the energy flow through you_ , and with the last of his strength he passed the lightning out through the finger tips of his other arm just barely managing to redirect part of the blast before he hit the ground with an agonizing thud.

The lightning exploded into the sky as Zuko curled onto his side, clutching his chest and moaning in pain.

" _ZUKO!_ "

Katara's voice crying out his name was the last thing he heard before he rolled over and lost consciousness.

* * *

The tears were welling in her eyes faster than she could blink them away but Katara was unable to make it five paces before Azula fired a blast in her direction, laughing maniacally at her handiwork. Katara managed to block the shot in time, but not before she noticed Zuko trying to push himself up off the ground.

_He's alive!_  Her heart cried triumphantly, and instantly she tried running for him again, covering her hands with water, hoping she could get to him in time. Once more Azula fired at her, stopping her just before she could reach Zuko, and Katara had to throw up her water covered hands to protect herself. Frustrated, Katara shot a desperate look at where Zuko reached for her, and retreated. There was no way she was going to be able to help him while Azula was still able to fight.

Another lightning blast exploded on the ground, sending Katara hurtling through the air a few feet. She managed to throw her hands out in front of her, tucking and rolling to avoid the potentially bone-jarring impact.

"I'd really rather our family physician looked after little Zuzu if you don't mind!" Azula chided as she leapt onto the roof of a nearby building, gathered more lightning, and fired it directly at Katara.

Adrenaline pumping, Katara ran, dodging the lightning and flames as they licked at her heels. She sought cover behind one of the pillars of the surrounding structures. When it was safe she peered around the structure to spy Zuko unmoving from where he had collapsed earlier.

"Zuzu you don't look so good" Azula's taunting voice echoed through the plaza.

Katara was angry but desperate. She needed to find a way to end this and fast. Zuko's life was hanging in the balance and the longer Katara took to fend off Azula the less chance he had of surviving. Taking cover from another bolt of lightning Katara leapt into action, pulling the water from one of the trenches (pools?) that ran along the sides of the plaza and bending it into a large funnel to attack the princess on her rooftop perch, but the younger girl was nowhere to be seen. By the time Katara realized Azula had moved the princess was charging at her from behind and Katara was forced out from her temporary shelter.

Skating over a trail of ice to keep ahead of the flames Katara swooped and dodged each attack before skidding to a halt on a grate that was covering an underground drainage system. Looking up she spotted some loose chain on one of the pillars and thanked whatever form of luck was on her side as she scrambled together a plan. Outsmarting Azula was her only hope. She charged forward, grabbing the chain when she heard Azula approaching.

"There you are, filthy peasant!"

Both girls glared unwaveringly at one another as Azula moved forward.  _That's it… just a little further…_

When Azula stopped just on the edge Katara bent several water whips at the other girl forcing her to roll and dodge them, which landed her right on top of the grate. Running around the princess Katara positioned herself behind Azula and just before the younger girl could retaliate Katara summoned a large wave to burst up from the drain freezing them both within it in seconds.

Time and water were frozen as they were held there in mid-motion, and for an instant Katara could swear that Azula actually looked frightened. With a large exhale to melt the water around her Katara swam around the princess wrapping the chain around each of her wrists, binding them together. Azula was completely immobilized by the ice as Katara tied the chain to the grate at her feet. It wasn't ideal but it would have to do for now. Katara unfroze the rest of the ice, freeing Azula, and both girls fell to their knees gasping for air. Getting to her feet again Katara made one final tug on the chain, confident that it was secure before she ran to tend to Zuko.

Precious seconds ticked by as she raced to him; grateful when she could still hear his moans of pain that meant he was hanging on to life. Scrambling to her knees at his side she reached around him, turning him over onto his back with the utmost care. Looking over him she nearly choked as she assessed the grisly wound on his chest. Tears once more threatened to overwhelm her vision but Katara took a deep breath. There would be time for tears later; right now, she had to focus. Covering her hands in water from her skins she placed them on his chest and closed her eyes.

The water began to glow as it covered his skin, seeking out the damaged areas to heal. Katara concentrated all her energy on restoring as much of the damage as she could, hoping it would be enough. When Aang had been struck by Azula's lightning it had taken Spirit Water to heal him, but there was no such chance this time. It wasn't until she heard and felt his breathing ease and his heartbeat even out that Katara finally opened her eyes. Joy surged through her as he too opened his eyes to look up at her wearily.

"Thank you Katara." He managed to say, his voice weak and barely audible.

Katara let her tears flow freely down her cheeks as she smiled down at him. "I think I'm the one who should be thanking you."

He moved to get up and Katara shifted to help him, cradling the back of his neck with one hand to help him sit up while gripping his arm gently but securely with her other, and slowly he got to his feet. A bitter and desperate howl came from Azula as she struggled against her bonds, and Katara was forced to remember the princess' presence. Crying and screaming there on the ground, Azula writhed as blue flames exploded from her mouth. Katara could only watch with muted horror feeling pity for the girl for the first time. Azula had always been a force to be reckoned with, but here, sobbing and growling, she looked truly broken and Katara could take no joy in that.

Zuko stood impassively as he watched his sister falling apart. Katara looked up at him sadly, noticing that despite his outwardly calm demeanor his eyes were ablaze with countless emotions. No matter the bad blood between them it was clear that he would always care for his sister in some way, and Katara's heart ached for him.

"I'm sorry." She couldn't find anything better to say to comfort him.

"Don't be. The one who should be sorry is my father, for doing this to her."

"Come on," she tugged on his arm gently, "we need to get you somewhere where you can get some rest."

"I'm fine Katara." He protested; clearly unaware of the gravity of the danger he had just escaped.

"No, you're not. Please don't be stubborn and let me help you."

Zuko turned to her, a retort on his lips, but there was movement behind them that had Katara spinning to face whatever potential danger was coming, interrupting him. Katara recognized the Fire Sages from before as they approached and she edged protectively in front of Zuko, ready to defend them both.

"Please, stand down young lady, we mean you no harm." The sage with the white beard, who nearly crowned Azula moments before, stepped forward, hands up in surrender. "We only wish to help."

Katara eyed them apprehensively, this was too good to be true, but when she felt a hand on her shoulder she turned to look back at Zuko. He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and Katara relaxed her stance, still eyeing the sages warily.

"Your highness, we are here to serve you." The leader said as he and the other sages dropped to their knees, bowing before Zuko in deference.

Zuko seemed hesitant for a moment before answering, "I want you to take my sister somewhere safe and secure where she cannot harm herself or others."

The man nodded. "Anything else, my prince?"

"No, we're going to find some place to rest. Please send someone when you have heard word of the Avatar."

"It shall be done." The head sage complied, retreating with the other sages to see to Azula.

"Are you sure we can trust them?" Katara questioned him once the sages were out of earshot.

"Not entirely, but I think they know that the tide is changing. After that stunt Aang and Avatar Roku pulled at the Fire Temple word spread amongst the sages, so I don't think they're eager to cross the Avatar anytime soon.

"Besides, hardly anyone is here. According to rumors my uncle heard, Azula went on a banishing spree."

"I guess we should thank her for that." Katara mused out loud.

Zuko attempted to chuckle but it fell short when he gasped in pain and clutched at the wound on his chest. Katara moved to support him before he collapsed; taking his free arm and slinging it over her shoulder while she wrapped her right arm around his waist helping him remain upright.

"Hey now, don't fall over on me yet."

"Sorry," he rasped and she felt him lean onto her carefully, "guess the Dancing Dragon will have to wait."

"Do me a favor and don't take lessons in humor from Sokka." She chided, secretly happy that he was at least coherent enough to even try to be joking.

"Is there somewhere I can take you? I don't think you'd make it back to Appa like this and the palace is too far. Would we be safe in there?" Katara asked motioning with her head towards the main temple building where Azula had nearly been crowned.

"Yes, up the stairs and straight down the hall, I'll let you know where we can go."

Katara gripped his arm over her shoulder and began to move towards the stairs. Zuko, for his part, seemed to do his best not to rely too heavily on Katara to carry his weight, but she still kept the pace slow and steady. Inwardly she cursed herself for not having been more diligent during her healing lessons with Yugoda at the North Pole. If she had Zuko might not be in as much pain as he was now. When this was all over she decided she would go to back and humbly beg Yugoda to teach her everything she knew so that, should there ever be a next time, Katara would be ready.

"You're awfully quiet." Zuko's voice broke through her thoughts.

"It's nothing."

"Your expression says otherwise."

"And since when have you been so good at reading my expressions?" Katara spared a glance up at him.

"You're not that hard to read." He smirked feebly.

"Considering you took lightning full on in the chest not even half an hour ago I suggest you worry about yourself." She scolded him, turning her face away to hide the blush that crept across her cheeks as they hobbled together up the steps to the main temple building.

They continued on in silence as Katara shouldered her way through the doors and into the main hall of the temple. Grand tapestries hung from the ceilings and intricate designs in the marble floor still managed to gleam in the weak firelight of the torches that lined the hall. With Zuko's guidance Katara led them through the maze of hallways and corridors until they came to a short hallway with one set of opulent double doors at the end of it.

"It's not the palace but that's the Fire Lord's personal chamber." Zuko explained to her. "We should be safe in there."

Katara nodded and made her way to the door, pushing it open with her foot. The room was sparsely lit but what little light there was allowed her to make out the shape of a couch and some chairs in the center of the room. There was another set of doors off to the side that she guessed must lead to a bedroom and Katara found herself wondering why the Fire Lord would ever need chambers here. Putting her curiosity aside she led them through the remaining set of doors and sighed with relief when she was able to make out a bed in the center of the small room. With a few more careful steps she guided him over to the bed and helped him sit on its edge.

"Care to tell me how to get some light in here?"

"You mean, like this?" He asked as he held a ball of flame in the palm of his hand.

The light from his hand aided Katara as she found a candle in a stand on a table next to the bed and handed it to him. He lit the wick and using the small flame Katara lit the sconces that decorated the walls.

"That's better." She said with satisfaction as warm light filled the room.

"It isn't much but this place is intended for the Fire Lord's use when he visits the temple to study spiritual matters. Not that my father ever bothered with such things."

"But will we be safe here? The Fire Sages have no reason to be loyal to you and we have no idea if your father is even defeated yet." Katara dared to voice her concerns.

Zuko's face darkened. "If Aang falls to my father, it won't matter where we are."

Katara shuddered at the thought. The reality of their situation weighed heavily between them but another painful groan from Zuko snapped her back to the most immediate issue. "Here," she said placing her hands on his shoulders and pushing him back against the bed, "you need to lie down. Let me see if there's more I can do."

Zuko did as he was told and laid back on the bed; Katara gingerly pushed open the remains of his tunic to gain easier access to the wound. Uncorking one of her waterskins Katara once again gloved her hands in water and pressed them to Zuko's chest. He hissed as the cool water touched the burn but began to relax as the water worked its power to heal him. Unlike the frantic job she did earlier, Katara took her time, closing her eyes and focusing fully on the process at hand, calling on all of her reserved skills to make this better.

An indeterminate amount of time passed as Katara worked, Zuko's heartbeat pulsed in her ears all the while. It wasn't until she was sure that there was nothing more to be done that she removed her hands from Zuko's chest, bending the water back into her skin. The wound was smaller and significantly improved, but it was still raw and red, and worst of all—it would scar. Katara worried her lower lip as guilt gnawed at her insides. He would have another scar, and this time it was all her fault.

"Katara…?" Zuko's voice was hoarse with exhaustion as he gazed at her.

"How does it feel? Any better?"

"Yeah, it does. Thank you Katara."

The sincerity in his voice as he thanked her made Katara's heart wrench agonizingly to think that he was even in this state because he was trying to protect her.

"Don't thank me just yet; it'll probably take a few more healing sessions before I'd call it fully healed." She hung her head in shame, reluctant to look at him as she admitted this last bit of information. "And it's going to leave a scar."

There was a pregnant pause before he finally responded. "I would be surprised if it didn't."

Katara lifted her head to read his face but his eyes were fixed firmly on the ceiling, his acceptance did nothing to assuage her guilt. "Why? Why would you do such a crazy, reckless thing like that?" She demanded; the emotional strain of the day's events was starting to show in her voice.

Zuko's brow furrowed in confusion, "What? You mean saving your life?" He pushed himself up on his elbows. "That shot would have killed you."

"And it nearly killed you!" Katara all but screeched. She had no idea why she was so upset, but the torrent of thoughts and words came bursting from her unbidden. "What would've happened if I hadn't been able to heal you? We're lucky that you were able to redirect most of the lightning, a shot like that nearly killed Aang. It took water from the Spirit Oasis to save him and that's gone now! I hate to think what shape you'd be in if you hadn't redirected her shot. Who would've been Fire Lord? You can't just go jumping in front of lightning like that, you're too important to lose."

"And you aren't?" Zuko shot back brusquely.

"In the grand scheme of things, no. If anyone should've been sacrificing themselves today it should have been me." She told him flatly.

"You seriously think that don't you?"

When she didn't answer Zuko pushed himself up with a grunt and sat up, throwing his legs over the edge of the bed and began to stand. Katara reacted, jumping up to push him back down onto the bed but he resisted, gripping her wrists to steady himself. Instantly she was reminded of a different scene from almost another life time involving pirates and a very different Zuko, but the expression he wore now nearly matched the angry one he used to wear then and Katara couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine.

"Idiot, you need to be resting!" She struggled to pull her wrists free.

"The only idiot here is you. How can you possibly think that you matter so little? Do you have any idea what it would do to us if you were to die?"

Katara wanted to look away but his amber gaze burrowed into her. Everything in his mannerisms said he was furious and yet his voice remained low with a fierce tenderness she had never heard from him before. "I couldn't just stand there and let Azula try to kill you; especially when I was stupid for taunting her like that in the first place."

"But you'll have another scar, and it's all my fault." Katara declared with a broken sob, turning her face away in shame to hide her tears. She didn't know why she was crying again but she couldn't stop them.

Zuko released her wrists, and Katara stood there sniffling, scrubbing the tears away with her fists. It wasn't until his fingers gently grabbed her chin and turned her face to him that she had to look at Zuko again and what she saw there in his eyes almost took her breath away.

"Katara, this is one scar I know I can live with; it's the proof that I was able to keep you safe." He spoke with genuine sincerity.

Katara's heart pounded in her chest. Zuko's face wore the most caring expression she had ever seen and she was lost in his eyes, their golden depths smoldering. Just moments ago they were both struggling to survive and now that the adrenaline was wearing off Katara had to face the reality of what had happened. He almost died, she could have died. There had been so many fights and so many close calls, but never this close. Tears continued to trail down her cheeks as she felt Zuko's fingers leave her chin, trailing up to caress her cheek, brushing away her tears with his thumb.

It suddenly hit her that had things turned out just the slightest bit different, one of them wouldn't be standing there. With another sob she threw her arms around Zuko's neck, hugging him.

"I was so scared. I thought she had killed you."

Zuko wound his arms around her, pulling her close. "But you saved me."

"But at what cost?" Remembering herself, she pushed back from him, looking down at the wound on his chest.

"We're both alive, I think I'd call that a win." He told her with a crooked smile.

Sighing wearily Katara found she couldn't argue with that and she smiled lightly. "Just don't you dare go doing anything like that again, I can't promise I'll always be there to heal you."

"My lord!" A loud knock came at the door.

Both teens were shocked apart by the interruption.

"Enter!" Zuko commanded gruffly.

A young male Fire Sage acolyte pushed open the door and entered with a bow. "Many apologies for the interruption your highness, but I was told to tell you when word was heard of the Avatar."

"Yes, and what have you heard?"

"The Avatar has triumphed over Phoenix King Ozai. He and the rest of your companions are on their way here as we speak."

Zuko and Katara exchanged glances; Katara silently giving him her best 'I told you so' look as she smiled. He gave her a small smirk in return before turning his attention back to the acolyte.

"Thank you; have rooms prepared in the palace for our guests so that they will be able to rest when they arrive, and please do the same for my chambers as well."

"As you wish your majesty." The young man bowed and left the room.

"I told you he would do it." Katara couldn't help saying the actual words as the door closed.

"Remind me never to doubt you again." Zuko replied with only the mildest hint of a grudge.

"Come on, you're supposed to be resting too." She moved around him and pushed the covers back on his bed.

When he dawdled Katara shot him her best mothering scowl and Zuko seemed to relent as he realized this was a battle not worth pursuing. They had at least several hours before their friends would arrive and a little rest would do them both a world of good.

"Fine, but I want to know the instant they're here." He said as he crawled into the bed and covered himself, careful to avoid his chest wound.

"I promise I will wake you the instant they've arrived." Katara assured him as she watched him settle back. "Now rest."

Zuko stared up at her for a long, hard moment before finally closing his eyes and relaxing. It wasn't long until his breathing evened and he was asleep, allowing Katara to study him. Weeks ago she would have balked at the idea of fighting beside him let alone saving him, yet here she was, and she had cried at the idea of losing him. If only her father could see her now, she wondered what he might say.

Looking around the room Katara found a lone wooden chair sitting at a vanity in the corner; retrieving it she dragged it to the end of the bed and made herself comfortable. She was too restless to sleep but hesitant to leave Zuko's side, even if the worst was over. So there she sat, keeping vigil as Zuko rested.

After a few moments Zuko began to groan and toss, face scrunching up in pain. Katara jumped up from her seat, concerned that perhaps his wound was preventing him from sleeping.

"N-no, Azula, don't. Stop—Katara!" He muttered, tossing and turning more fiercely.

_He must be dreaming about the fight_ , she thought with a grimace. Sitting on the edge of the bed she reached for his hand and squeezed it. "Zuko," she spoke tenderly, "it's okay, you're safe now."

Zuko groaned and tossed some more before jolting awake, panting. His eyes were wide, frantically searching the room before they landed on her and focused. "Katara," he said with relief.

She smiled, "I'm right here. Everything is okay."

"I dreamed I didn't move fast enough. And you… you were gone, and it was all my fault." He mumbled in a daze.

Zuko was still clearly half-asleep but the way he spoke with such broken desperation made Katara's heart wrench. Reaching up with her free hand she brushed his bangs from his sweat-covered forehead. "Shhh…" she soothed, "Azula didn't hurt me because you saved me. Go back to sleep, you need to rest."

Nodding wearily Zuko relaxed and closed his eyes once more. Katara moved to resume her bedside vigil in her chair but stopped when she felt Zuko's hand grasp hers. "Don't go." He rasped.

"I'm not going anywhere," she explained and motioned to the chair at the end of the bed, "I was just going to sit there so you can rest."

"You can sit here." He nodded to the other side of the bed.

Katara felt the heat rise on her cheeks, what had gotten into him? This wasn't like Zuko at all but the silent plea in his eyes made it hard to protest.

"O-okay, but get some rest, alright? The only way you'll get better is if you get some rest." She insisted nervously. When he nodded in agreement and let go of her hand she got up to move around the bed to the unoccupied side and crawled onto the mattress. Propping one of the pillows against the headboard she sat back and looked down at Zuko, whose eyes had followed her every move.

"Better?" She asked, sounding much calmer than she felt.

"Thank you." Zuko said with a weak and tired smile.

"Sleep." Katara told him, taking his hand and lacing her fingers through his. "I'll be right here."

Sighing with relief Zuko complied and closed his eyes. When his breathing once more evened out, signaling that he had finally fallen back asleep, Katara allowed herself to relax, settling against the headboard suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion. Looking down at their linked hands Katara was surprised by the sense of comfort the simple gesture brought not only to Zuko but to herself as well. He very possibly could have died jumping in front of that lightning for her and the fact that he never even hesitated to throw his life in front of hers was going to be something she would never be able to forget.

"I'm the one who will always be thanking you." She whispered to him as he slept, closing her eyes and joining him in peaceful slumber.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Update 2014: As I'm posting this to my new account here on AO3 I would like to ask that you please do not kill me for this ending. As noted above, it was originally meant to end this way as I had already pursued the episodes that follow this point in my other works; however, the more notices and reviews I got asking for a happier ending the more I decided that some better closure would not hurt.
> 
> I have another chapter written, it is currently with my beta and I hope to post it soon :)


End file.
